Evil Unleashed
by Hyena Cub
Summary: Wilykit and Wilykat take a dare - in the Black Pyramid!
1. Chapter 1

**Evil Unleashed**

Wilykit and Wilykat take a dare...and get themselves into major trouble. 

1 

"I am not!" 

"Are too!" 

"Am not!" Wilykat scowled and stuck his tongue out at his sister. 

"You are too! You're not a ThunderCat, you're a _scaredy_-cat!" 

Although the pair was soaring across the ground, side by side on their spaceboards, Wilykat turned around and actually slugged his sister in the arm. Most of the time, the quieter of them would argue for a while then leave or something, but today he'd had enough. 

Wilykit made a surprised squawking sound, and tottered on one foot, trying to keep her balance, more desperate to save her pride than her hide. It didn't work, and the young ThunderCat fell from her board to sprawl somewhat painfully on the ground. 

As her spaceboard crashed into a tree, Wilykit looked up, an expression of abject surprise on her face. It wasn't as if her brother had never hit her before, even in play they were rough, but the fact that he had caught her off guard and actually succeeded was the shock. "Hey!" she said, as Wilykat brought his own board aorund. "I can't believe you did that, Wilykat!" 

Wilykat landed and stood next to his sister. he had been about to ask if she was all right, that he hadn't intended to actually hurt her or anything, but now he didn't. he scowled. "Well...what did you expect! You kept calling me a coward, and I'm not!" Near tears, Wilykat kicked his sister in the leg, and pretty hard too. "Just because I'm not as strong as you, or can't do things as well doesn't mean I don't _want_ to, or I'm _scared_ to!" Losing his battle, he wiped his eyes. "You make me feel like I can't DO anything! I'm a ThunderCat too you know. I fight just like you, and I do my best!" With that, he turned and stalked off, getting back on his spaceboard and flying away at top speed. 

For a full five minutes, Wilykit only sat on the ground, looking after her angry twin brother. Now _that_ he had never done before, kicked her deliberately when she was down. Wilykit rubbed her leg, which would probably have a bruise on it later. The pair had just come back from a call that was supposed to be a routine check of the area, as they all took turns doing, and had turned out to be a fight with Jackalman and Monkian, who had lain in wait for whoever would be patrolling that day. Seemed they had finally gotten wise enough to try it, and it had almost worked. 

They had fought for a long time, neither of the Thunderkittens having had a chance to get to their communicators and call for backup form Cats' Lair. They had done it later, and gotten some very concerned replies...and some of ant admiration when they learned how they had fought well. But though Wilykat fought with as much of his heart as his sister, but his awkwardness had caused him to get clipped by Jackal man's weapon. 

Wilykit had had to save his butt...but had it really been necessary to call him all those names? She had been in a bad mood afterwards but now she felt bad. 

With a sigh, she got up and went after her brother, but he was long gone, and nowhere around when she got to Cats' Lair. 

"Wilykit! Are you all right?" Lion-O had come out of the control room, where he had monitored hers and Wilykat's approach. He was looking at her concerned. 

"Yeah, we're okay, Lion-O," she said, accustomed as they both were for speaking for both of them. 

Lion-O frowned and looked her over. A few bruises and a couple of scrapes, and a half empty belt of capsules. "That's a big bruise on your leg," he said. 

Wilykit scowled. "I-I got that when I fell off my board. _After_ the attack." 

Lion-O finally chuckled at her red face. "Did fine in battle but lost the fight with the ground, huh?" 

"Yeah," Wilykit said with a shrug. "I don't need to go to the infirmary or anything. Where's Wilykat?" 

Lion-O frowned again and sighed. "I don't know, Wilykit. he came home looking pretty upset, and only checked in before leaving again." He paused, "Against my direct order to stay and have his head checked. It was bleeding, Wilykit, what happened?" 

Wilykit told Lion-O what had happened in the fight, and gave him a full report. There was another thing Wilykat had never done: refusing an order from the Lord of the ThunderCats. Wilykat had always been a little uncomfortable and awed by Lion-O, his power and strength, and his status as a full grown ThunderCat. She was too, actually, but she never showed it. She was very surprised he had ignored an order from him. 

Lion-O looked hard at her. Though she didn't mean to, she averted his gaze and stared as her feet. "Wilykit...did you two have a fight?" 

She scowled. She hated it when someone guessed what was wrong when she didn't want them to.. "Yeah," she mumbled. 

The young lord sighed. "Go find him will you? I'm a little worried." 

To his credit, he didn't tell her to apologize. he believed that if someone were MADE to apologize to someone, they did not mean it, and left that choice up to the other person. Even if that other person was a child. 

"Okay," she mumbled again, and went to the hangar to retrieve her spaceboard. 

"Wilykaaaat!" she hollered, looking around as she effortlessly rode the winds on her board. She looked left, right. She had already checked the Berbli Village, and the Wollo's city, and the Bolkin territory, and of Wilykat was at any of those places, she did not see him, and the denizens of those places did not either. 

Discouraged, she dragged herself back hope at sundown, and strode into the lair. She was sweaty and tired, and not very happy to say the least. 

"There you are Wilykit!" This time it was Panthro that greeted her. 

"We've been trying to reach you, Cheetara and I were just about to go out looking for you...what happened?" 

Frowning, Wilykit looked blankly at Panthro for a minute, the frowned and looked hastily at her communicator She sighed. "I forgot to turn it back on," she mumbled, embarrassed for the second time that day. 

Panthro tried to give her a reproachful look, then laughed. "Well glad you're all right at any rate. Wilykat came back a couple of hours ago." He clapped Wilykit on the shoulder. "If it makes you feel better we were thinking about going out in the ThunderTank to look for him too." He snickered good naturedly and winked at her. "But _his_ radio was off purposefully." 

Panthro left her, oblivious to her glare as he opened the door to his quarters and went in. normally, Wilykit would have responded to such a good- natured jibe with a punch to the arm--_if_ Panthro let her anyway. She knew that he could easily avoid an attack from most people let alone a cub, but today she wasn't in the mood, and was sick of being taken lightly by the adults. This had not been Panthro's intention this time, but the way she was feeling, she took it as such. 

She stalked into the room she and Wilykat shared to see him lying on his bed reading a book. He was still dressed in his tunic, which was dirty and torn, and she could see the blood dried on his head. "You didn't even let Tygra look at you did you?" she asked, sounding more accusatory than she had intended. 

Wilykat looked up, glared at her, then went back to reading his book. "It doesn't hurt," her finally growled. 

"It doesn't?" 

"No!" It came back sharply, and Wilykit didn't think he had meant it to sound like that. 

Suddenly she understood. He was proving that he was tough, that he could take it. but as she got closer and actually _looked_ at the wound, she surmised it probably hurt like hell. She felt worse than she had before, but before she could say anything, she heard Lion-O calling her. With a sigh, she went from the room. 

"Yeah?" she asked, a little apprehensively. 

"Wilykit." Lion-O sat down. "Have a seat. Wilykat was hurt in the fight you two were in, but refuses to let anyone look at him, not even Tygra could convince him. That gash needs to be looked at. And I think you can convince him to allow it. It's not bad enough for me to force him, as despite what you think we don't like treating you like small cubs. At least we try not to." 

Wilykit was a little surprised that Lion-O had sad that, but nodded. "Well...okay, Lion-O. I'll try." 

"Thank you. But first, go see Tygra please, just for him to check you out." 

Wilykit grumbled, but did as she'd been asked, and getting a clean bill of heath and an admonition to get some sleep. 

"Wilykat?" 

Silence. Then, "What?" He was still reading his book. 

Wilykit sighed and sat on her bed. "Wilykat...I'm sorry okay? I didn't really mean what I said...I just...I guess I was mad." She shrugged. "I don't know why. I thought Jackalman was gonna kill you, and I guess I got scared, and i don't like being scared, and like admitting it even less." This was very true, but said partly to make Wilykat be a little less stubborn. She walked over and touched his head, noting that he had to work very hard not to wince. "Why don't you have Tygra look at it...I mean what if you have a concussion? Next time you fight you _could_ get killed." 

Wilykat looked at his sister with a small degree of wonder. Though the two of them usually were not shy about acting afraid in each other's presence, it was unlike Wilykit to come right out and say it. he lowered his head. "Okay," he said, and stood from the bed. "Sorry for kicking you...I was mad, too." 

"It's okay..." The young ThunderCat watched her brother leave. 

"Well good to see you," Tygra said, as Wilykat walked in looking pretty sullen. "Hop up here and let me take a look." Tygra checked the boy over, looking into his eyes and cleaning the gash thoroughly. He put a disinfectant/healing salve on it before putting a glaring white bandage on the injury and telling him he had no concussion, but was to take it easy for a couple of days. 

"Thanks, Tygra." Wilykat hopped down, admitting to himself that he felt better. 

As he left, he heard something with his keen hearing that he was sure he wasn't supposed to overhear. "Well he came in," Tygra said. 

"Yeah, I knew that Wilykit would figure out a way to get him to cooperate a little bit. i was kind of worried about that injury." 

"The kid's tougher than we give him credit for." 

At this point the two ThunderCats moved too far to be heard, and though 

Wilykat was pleased at their saying he was tough...he was also angry all over again at Wilykit. he stormed into the room. 

"What's wrong?" 

"Shut up!" he screamed at her, crying once again. He hated crying; it was a curse that his sister did not as often have. "You just said all that to trick me into going to the infirmary!" He flopped on his bed and covered himself with the blanket. 

"What?? I did not!" 

"I heard Tygra and Lion-O say so!" came the voice from under the heavy blanket, muffled. 

Wilykit looked at him, wounded. She HADN'T said them just for that! She touched his covered form, and jumped back when he kicked out at her. 

"Leave me alone!" 

Biting her lip, Wilykit went to her own side of the room and lay down. "I _didn't_ say it for that..." she said, sounding as if she were pouting. She sighed and turned out the light and closed her eyes. but the troubled young warrior was not quick to sleep. 

Part Two 

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	2. Chapter 2

2 

"Come on, WIlykat!" Wilykit hopped after her brother, struggling to get her boot on. "I _said_ I was sorry didn't I?" 

Wilykat made a shooing gesture with his hand. "Go away." 

"But Wilykat!" Wilykit was getting angry, and ran after him, her errant boot finally on. She grabbed his shoulder and spun him around. "Why won't you believe me?" 

Wilykat jerked his arm away and scowled. "You only said that so I'd go to the infirmary!" Wilykat accused. 

"I did not! Well...only partly. I _said_ it for that reason, but I _meant_ it, you jerk!" She had not intended to call him that, but she was mad, and when she was mad, she said things without even thinking. 

Wilykat only narrowed his eyes and walked off. 

Breakfast was a silent affair, the twins' dark moods casting a spell of sorts over the other ThunderCats, stilling the urge to converse. After the meal, they went their separate ways. 

"It'll pass," Cheetara said quietly to Lion-O. "It always does." 

The young lord sighed. "I know. But they're so inseparable, it's really disturbing to see them fight. And Wilykit needs to learn some control. She's a good fighter, but she needs control and to know when to keep her mouth shut. 

"It gets her into more trouble." 

Cheetara was right, as usual. Wilykat and Wilykit sulked for three days before they couldn't stand it anymore and Wilykat finally sought his sister out. "Wilykit?" 

From where she was, in vain, trying to lift one of the weights in the gym that Panthro had shown off to the others one day, WIlykit looked up. "Yeah?" she asked cautiously. She had avoided her brother those three days, since he had surprised her with how he'd acted. She knew she'd messed up this time too. 

"I'm sorry." 

With almost as much surprise as when he'd slugged her the first time, she sat up. "Me too." She stood and put her arms around the other cub and they embraced for a moment. "Can you lift this thing?" 

"What, are you crazy?" 

Wilykit shook her head. "I can't lift it either. Come on, let's go take a spaceboard ride, see what's happening. You know those miserable Mutants have been causing trouble." 

"Okay. but we have to check in with Lion-O first." 

After doing so, the pair rode the winds, side by side. They weren't really looking for the villains, they needed to talk. "I can't believe you actually hit me," Wilykit said, still with some amazement. "Well I mean I can, but you've never hit me that _hard_." 

Wilykat shrugged. "Well...you made me really mad, Wilykit. I _know_ I can't fight as well as you, but I can't help it! I think about it all the time, and I hate it! I hate not being able to fight and having to be rescued more than I help anyone." When Wilykit said nothing, he continued. "I'm a ThunderCat, a warrior. And what good's a warrior that can't fight? When you said all that stuff, hearing _you_ say the things that the Mutants usually yell at me when we're in battle, it...it really hurt, Kit." 

Wilykit looked down. "I know. And...I-I _meant_ it to. I was mad because I had to save you...and it made me scared! I don't like being scared. I couldn't take it out on them...so I guess I did on you." She sighed. "I guess I get mad too because you never want to do the exciting things I say because you think we'll get into trouble." 

"That doesn't mean I'm _scared_ to, though!" It did sometimes, but no wasn't the time to admit that. 

"Well what _does_ it mean?" 

While the twins argued, a lone figure lurked in the bushes. Jackalman was out doing his own patrol and the Thunderkittens were in the viscinity of Castle Plundaar. Narrowing his eyes, and dropping to all fours to get a greater speed, Jackalman ran after them. If only he could hear what they were saying... 

"It means I don't want to be grounded for a week!" Seeing his sister's skeptical look, he bristled in aggravation. "I'll prove it!" he said, stopping his spaceboard. Jackalman, trying not to pant loud enough to be heard was grateful he did. The jackal hid behind a leafy swamp tree and listened. 

"You'll prove you don't want to be grounded?" Wilykit asked, a sightly puzzled look on her face. 

"No!" Wilykat said. "I'll prove I'm not afraid!" 

"They shoudln't ground us anyway," Wilykit grumbled, sitting on her board. "We're supposed to be equals. You don't see Panthro getting grounded." 

Wilykat sighed with impatience. "That doesn't matter." He thought for a moment, then gave his sister a michievious grin. "I've got a dare for you." 

Just the word "dare" made Wilykit's blood race. She was not the kind who could back away from a challenge. "Oh yeah?" she said, trying to sound tough but not able to hide a grin of anticipation. 

Grinning now himself at his sister's reaction, Wilykat gestured with his head towards the Desert of the Sinking Sands nearby. It would take an hour or so to get there from where they were on their spaceboards. "I say we go to Mumm-Ra's pyramid." He felt a smile of satisfaction at his sister's quickly stifled look of alarm. "We find a way to sneak in, and we take something from there to prove we were there." He snickered. "We can frame it and put it on our wall." 

Wilykit seemed about to protest, but then Wilykat said, "Or are you too chicken?" He knew that would get her. 

Her courage having been challenged, Wilykit stood up. "You're on! I'll beat you there!" With that, she took off at full speed on her board. With a laugh of imminent adventure, Wilykat took off after her. 

In the damp swamp-foliage, Jackalman grinned and ran for Castle Plundaar. 

Knowing that the radio at the castle could contact Mumm-Ra via his cauldron, he figured he would give the mummy some advance warning and gain some brownie points... 

Part One 

Part Three 

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	3. Chapter 3

3 

"Well...there it is..." Wilykat stood on his board, looking at the oppressive Black Pyramid in the distance. 

"Yeah..." Both of them were scared silly, and both of them _knew _that, but by mutual agreement, they did not admit it. At least not yet. Wilykit sighed and sat down. "Okay, how do we go about this?" 

"Well..." 

"This was your idea!" 

Wilykat frowned. "Yeah, I know, that doesn't mean I had a plan." 

"Well, can Mumm-Ra see us in our cauldron?" 

Wilykat looked as if he were about to shrug, then grinned. "Well we'll find out if he fries us with that red lightning coursing over his pyramid." 

Wilykit scowled. "That's _not_ a great method." Then she laughed. 

Her brother shrugged, still grinning. "Well let's go find out." 

"Right." The twins took off. 

Twenty minutes later, the duo was soaring along the perimeter of the massive structure, the hot gray stone seeming dead in the silent desert of the Sinking Sands. "I thought things were supposed to sink here," Wilykat said a little worriedly. 

"I think they only do it when Mumm-Ra wants them to," her brother answered. "I think." 

Cautiously, they searched every square inch of the place. "The others have gotten in before, where?" 

Wilykat shrugged, feeling the urge to whisper, even though anyone inside the thick stone walls would not have heard them even had they shouted. "Wait, whenever I see Mumm-Ra go into it, it's always near the top!" 

Gaining height, the twins soared up to the top third of the pyramid, again completing the circuit. "There!" Wilykit pointed to a small opening in the side of the pyramid, kind of tall but narrow. "How does he even get in there?" she wondered. 

"He's a mage, Wilykit. he can make that hole any size he wants." He regarded it, feeling again the almost tangible silence of the dead desert, and shuddering at the equally tangible feeling of evil and death. "This place is wrong," he whispered. "If it had been the old days of gods and spirits, the spirit of the earth would have cast this thing out long ago." 

Wilykit raised an eyebrow at the analogy. Wilykat seemed to have a way with words, whereas she usually only said things in bluntly spoken statements. "Yeah,l it's nasty all right. Well let's go in." 

The pair ended up directly in the ancient priest's main chamber, where the portal at the top led. Wilykat winced, having second thoughts, but unwilling to lose face. "This place sure is creepy," he whispered. They had been there before, but never alone, and never as a sneak thief would, creeping around in the dimness that was lit only by a few eternally burning torches along the walls. 

Jumping from their boards once they reached the ground, they drew closer together, creeping in the wide open space, feeling suddenly vulnerable. "W- well?" They had made a decision on the way there, that the item they would seek was a piece of the place itself: a chip from Mumm-Ra's sarcophagus. 

Wilykat peered into the pool, and wrinkled his nose from the smell of combined decay and unknown chemicals, drawn from who knew where. He stifled the urge to gag and drew from it. "Boy that thing stinks," he said in a nearly inaudible whisper. 

As he had stated only the obvious, Wilykit only nodded in agreement as they skirted around the cauldron, now clutching each other, and stared at the bleached stone of the casket that Mumm-Ra "slept" in. He didn't truly sleep, as someone who was not really alive didn't need to, but it was the closest thing he could get to it. In any case, his mind, if he had an actual physical mind, shut down as he regenerated. Wilykit gulped. "W-well there it is," she whispered. 

With a hand that shook a little more than he would have liked, Wilykat searched his belt for something he could use to chip off a piece of the casket, and found nothing. 

Wilykit looked about and spied a twisted piece of steel in the corner of the chamber, and ran silently to grab it. "Okay...I'll get it you carry it." 

Wilykat nodded, his deep orange eyes wide with fear. The place may not have looked so scary from the outside, but inside, _in_ the realm of evil, you knew that it was a _place_ of fear. 

Taking a big breath, Wilykit brought the metal up...and struck once. The clang echoed in the chamber, and the twins cringed against each other, freezing as they heard a stirring from inside the casket. If they were caught this close to their enemy, and with their spaceboards not within their reach, they would either be killed or captured, neither of which they wished to happen. For the first time, they thought actually of the danger...the _real_ danger...of what they were trying to do. 

Wilykat bit his lip and looked around. "The statues," he said. "We take one from there." 

"Okay," Wilykit agreed quickly, a look of relief crossing her face. Hunching over the foot of the first statue, Wilykit began hurriedly chipping at the stone, her fur rising as fear made her senses sharper than they ever were. She could hear the wind outside, and sand blowing across the floor--blowing? 

Wilykit looked up. "Since when does the wind blow inside?" she demanded in an intense whisper. 

Wilykat gulped. "I-I don't know...hurry up!" The beginnings of panic could be seen in the unnaturally wide radius of his eyes, and Wilykit nodded hurriedly and started again to chip. 

It was almost done, the wind in the chamber rising rapidly until it howled inside as well as out, the sand blasting the two cubs with their gritty ammunition, making them squint their eyes and shield their faces. 

Wilykat's hair was standing on end, not from fear he finally realized, but with a build-up of energy, or electricity. He was just about to yell for his sister to forget it so that they could leave, when she grasped something in her hand and cried, "I got it!" Her voice was scarcely audible in the storm that seemed to have developed in the chamber. 

"Let's get out of here!" Wilykat screamed, the feeling of energy making his whole body shake as he stumbled away from the statue. 

"Here!" Wilykit threw him the piece that he was to carry out, and he dropped it with a yelp, half expecting it to burn his hand. It did not, but as the twins backed fearfully from the statue, the eyes of all four monoliths suddenly blazed red, and the gasped. Both turning to run, they suddenly sprawled onto the floor with an identical scream of surprise and pain as a jolt of red energy coursed from the statue they had defiled, knocking them halfway across the room. 

Dazed, they sat up, and Wilykat pointed at the sarcophagus. "Look!" he shrieked. It was opening, a hiss of what sounded like fury emanating from it. 

Finally her paralysis broke, and Wilykit dashed for her spaceboard, her brother on her heels. Fighting the winds, and having to fly on their knees, they soared up for the hole in the roof. 

Down below, the ancient form of Mumm-Ra, summoned by his masters, emerged from his resting place, a snarl of fury on his withered featured. "Those impudent whelps have gone too far," he growled, then threw his hands skyward. "Ancient Spirits of Evil!" 

"He's awake! Let's get out of here!" Wilykit screamed, and finally out of the gale force winds of the pyramid below, they took off at high speed for the Cats' Lair... 

Part Two 

Part Four 

Table of Contents   
ThunderCat Stories Page   
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	4. Chapter 4

4 

"Transform this decayed form..." 

As the mummy wizard completed his incantation, the two trespassers had coaxed all the speed they possibly could from their lithe spaceboards, Wilykat gripping his board with one hand and still on his knees, and clutching the large chip of stone in the other tightly enough to hurt him, although he could not open his hand anymore than he could keep his heart from racing, or his teeth from clenching. It was a reaction of pure fear. 

Wilykit had gotten to her feet, although somewhat shakily, and was soaring ahead of her brother, urging him the whole time to hurry before that blasted mummy caught up to them and turned them into frogs of something. Mumm-Ra had never done such a thing so far as they knew, and it was her stressed attempt at a joke. That was how Wilykit dealt with fear, she joked or got angry. 

Wilykat could go no faster, not being as skilled with the spaceboards as she was. He looked behind him, his eyes open in am expression of terror, as an unholy shriek erupted behind the fleeing Thunderians, a shriek of anger, and of aggression. It was a battle cry. 

Mumm-Ra flew behind them, rushing them in a fit of anger, even as they retreated without further fight. "Wilykit look out!" the boy cried, and took his board into a dive as Mumm-Ra came straight for him. 

Diving was not something he had to think about, as more often than not that is what he ended up doing if he did not pay attention while riding, and the mummy sailed over him. 

He cursed the miss, which had been intended to knock the young ThunderCat to the ground several feet below, where he would fry him. But he would see to the girl first, as she was the bolder of the two, and most likely it had been her idea. She was also the bigger threat, although Mumm-Ra would have either laughed or electrocuted the one who was foolish enough to suggest he feared the attack of two kittens. 

Warned by her brother's cry, Wilykit also turned, and dropped to her knees to clutch the spaceboard, as she had no time to duck as Wilykat had done. She let out a screech as Mumm-Ra's outstretched fist struck her in the side, and she spun several times on her board, managing to hold on the entire time. Closing her eyes as she held back a wave of nausea from the blow and the spin, she only knelt clutching the sides for a moment as the board righted itself. She coughed and started once again to get up, interesting now in only getting away. 

"Lords of Thundera!" Wilykat watched this with a degree of horror and stood up on his own board, even as Mumm-Ra laughed nastily and rose up, splaying his fingers to unleash a deadly barrage of energy at the temporarily helpless kitten. "NO!!!" Wilykat howled, and dove from his own elevated position. He was not sure exactly what he would do at first, but as he saw the glint of sun on his sister's board, he knew. 

As Mumm-Ra looked up in annoyance, Wilykat dashed between him and his sister, pulling up on the spaceboard so that it was perpendicular to the ground, as he strained to keep the board steady. The repulsors that made them hover or gave the boards height turned, trying to accommodate this unusual angle, but it was hell keeping it steady, and already it began to wobble. 

But it had been enough. As Mumm-Ra snarled and prepared to blast the male kitten from his way, he saw what Wilykat had noticed: the boards were highly reflective. 

As he caught sight of his own face in the reflected image, he saw what he really was, what not even the Mutants saw when they met with him in his diminished form at the pyramid. He saw a face of depthless evil, and ancient, rotten skin that was more bandage that had seeped in and out of his very flesh. He saw an emaciated body, without the borrowed power of the Ancient Spirits of Evil, power that was given him only when the ancient ones were in need of him, or when he left to do their bidding. The only thing about his true form that was really alive were his eyes...not alive as a natural creature might be, but alive with eons of power being pumped into his body, blazing a livid red with ages of hatred and murder and the torment of others that personified the blackened entity that passed for his soul. 

Confronted with this horrifying image, and the knowledge and realizations that always came with it, Mumm-Ra shrieked, and covered his face, as if to block out the specter. But for now it could not be banished; the picture was etched into his consciousness as he backed away in the air, growling an infuriated threat, and retreated to the sanctuary of his pyramid. 

It was a good thing he did. At that moment, Wilykat lost his tenuous control of his board and fell from it, landing to sprawl ungracefully in the dirt. He scowled and rubbed his posterior, which he had landed on. "Ow..." 

But to Wilykit, who had managed to gain her feet, it was the most wonderful thing she had ever seen. She'd been afraid she was about to die, and _then_ afraid Wilykat would be annihilated in front of her. She landed, fell to her knees beside her brother sitting in the dirt, and threw her arms around him. "I sure owe you one this time, Wilykat," she said, her voice only steadied by sheer will. 

He hugged her back and laughed half-heartedly. "Yeah...well this make us even...for at least _one_ of the time you've saved my butt..." He was still scared, and now sore and exhausted as the adrenaline rush waned, but he felt good. He felt great. he had just fended off Mumm-Ra with one quick-thinking act. Sometimes quick thinking was better than his sister's preferred style of out and out fighting. 

"Let's go home." Wilykit stood and offered her brother a hand up. He nodded and took it, and the twins climbed back onto their boards, headed for home. 

"What in the-what happened to you two?" Panthro asked as they walked into the control room, covered in dust and looking somewhat bedraggled. 

"We were wrestling in the dirt," Wilykat said without missing a beat. The twins were very good at creative storytelling. 

"Yeah," Wilykit said, and winced. Being Thunderian and not being shy about nudity since they sometimes went nude inside where the citizens of Third Earth would not be offended, Wilykit lifted her tunic to reveal her side, the one Mumm-Ra had struck in his angry attack. She winced again, more intensely, when she saw the bruise that covered her side. "Ow...man." 

Panthro's eyes widened and he took a look at the kitten's side. "Jeez, Wilykit! Did this happen yesterday?" It was an ugly purple color with some hints of a greenish tint that was actually kind of interesting. 

"Well I guess," Wilykit said. "It's been hurting." And neither was this a lie, as it _had_ been hurting; all the way home it had been hurting, which was long enough in her opinion. 

"Well that looks bad...go on and have Tygra look it all right?" 

Wilykit nodded. "Okay..." She sighed and left the room. 

After Tygra had pronounced Wilykit free of broken or cracked ribs, and sent her to bed with a salve to put on it every few hours or so, the twins retired to their bedroom to gloat over their prize. Wilykat had had to search for it in the sands of the desert after the tussle, but had easily found it in the bleached sand and put it in his pouch; he brought it out now and couldn't help but grin. "Jeez, Wilykit...this is one of the Ancient Spirits of Evil!" 

Wilykit blinked, then a slow grin appeared on her face. "You're right! Wow...and we got away with it too!" She grinned. "We can't display it though, if one of the grown-ups ever figured out what it was..." 

"No kidding. What should we do with it?" He grinned. "I want to keep it." 

"Hmmmm." Wilykit got a mischievous grin on her face. "I dare you to carry it around with you in your pouch." 

Wilykat laughed, then shrugged. After the day he had survived, he felt pretty agreeable. "Sure!" He put it in the pouch of his belt before hanging it on his bedpost for the night. 

There was a soft rustle of sand as Mumm-Ra returned to the pyramid, a mere breeze wisping through the chamber as he swiftly transformed into his weak, energy-conserving form, and was prepared to creep into his casket to regenerate when he saw the image of a sniveling face in his cauldron. As his lip curled in intense annoyance, he considered ignoring it, but then the jackal would only persist. "What do you want, you craven, sniveling wretch?" he snarled. 

Obviously cowed, but just as obviously having something he deemed of great importance to say, Jackalman stammered, "M-Mumm-Ra, I saw the Thunderkittens!" He let out a nervous laugh. "They were talking about heading for your pyramid and t--" 

But the skinny jackal Mutant never got to finish his sentence, as Mumm-Ra roared in fury, blasting the cauldron with energy that with the sheer force of magic in the angry display of temper, transmitted through the communications at Castle Plundaar to arc from the control panel, frying it and coursing into Jackalman. He flew across the room in a sizzle of red electricity, howling in pain as it diminished. With a whimper of fear, he ran from the room. 

This having drained what energy he had left, Mumm-Ra staggered into his sarcophagus, and the lid slid shut... 

Part Three 

Part Five 

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	5. Chapter 5

5 

Wilykat dreamt. This was not all that unusual, as he dreamt almost every night, only he hardly ever remembered these dreams when he awoke. He wished he could. In most of his dreams, he was the hero, fighting the forces of evil. Not only was he able to fight, but people looked up to him, respected him. Him being a ThunderCat _meant _something to him. He was not bigger or stronger than he really was, but somehow was always able to defeat his enemies. 

This was a dream he would have liked to forget. 

In this dream, nothing bad happened to him...if he wanted to be technical. Nothing attacked him, nothing chased him, or tried to kill him. Nothing jumped from the shadows to sink sharp, unnatural claws into his throat. This all happened...but not to him. 

He still fought, the main character of this dream as usual, but in his young hands was a dark blade instead of his bag of tricks. In this dream, this nightmare, he was still with the ThunderCats, but they did not back him up They did not respect him or encourage him. They feared him. Wilykat fought, fought his allies, feeling a deep hatred for them even as another part of his mind shrieked at him to stop, to realize what he was doing. That was the worst part; he _did_ know what he was doing. He knew and did it anyway, helpless to stop it even if he had wanted to. And that also was bad, because he _didn't _want to stop it. He felt a deep hatred that he was afraid of, that disgusted him, that made him want to curl up and cry. He felt a hatred for the ThunderCats, including his sister. As she stepped up to confront him, he turned with a savage snarl. He struck her down. 

He was feared. _He_ was the one attacking and killing innocents. _He_ was the one leaping from shadows to slash and main. _He_ was the one pursuing. He was always the most powerful in his dreams, and this one was no different. As his former allies tried to stop him, not wanting to hurt the young ThunderCat, but having no choice, he defeated them one by one, until he heard a moan and a whimper of pain. He turned to see his sister trying to struggle to her feet, bleeding from his viscous attack. No, not to attack, but to try and reach him. That made him mad. She tried to speak, but Wilykat didn't need to hear it, he could see it in his sister's eyes. She was asking Why? Why did you betray us? How can you hate us, hate me? She was surpressing another outcry of pain as she rose to approach him. That angered him. That angered him to no end. Who the hell was SHE to act all noble and brave? Who was she to look like a martyr? Who the hell was _she_ to be so strong and make him feel weak? 

Even as his mind shrieked in sorrow and desperation, he brought his blade up and slashed. 

Wilykit was awakened from her own dreams of battle, and sometimes of the early childhood she scarcely remembered by a terrorized scream, one that would make one think someone was being tortured. She sat bolt upright, and was on her feet in two seconds, already reaching for her belt with her capsules and lariat. 

As her sleep-fogged mind cleared, the young ThunderCat realized where she was, and she registered the fact that they were not under attack. But her ears still were assaulted by the hysterical screaming that she finally realized was her brother "Wilykat!!" she said, and ran to his bed. "Wilykat, Wilykat, what's wrong?" He was sitting in bed, his fists clenched, eyes shut tight, the sheets damp with sweat. He was screaming as if he was looked into the depths of Evil itself. "Wilykat!!" She started shaking him. 

Wilykat opened his eyes, and slowly he saw where he was, and who was shaking him.. Wilykit looked at him, an expression of amazement on her face, and looking somewhat unnerved. Wilykat burst into tears. "Oh, Kit, it was horrible! I w-was killing, and I was...I hurt people, people were afraid of me, and you-you were--" 

As the adrenaline that had pumped through her body at the prospect of danger diminished, Wilykit sighed, and shook her head to wake up her mind. By this point, she could not understand anything he said and put her arms around him. "Hey...it's okay Wilykat, it was just a dream. See? No one's dead or anything." He didn't stop crying, and she bit her lip. "If it makes you feel better, _I_ don't fear you, twerp." It was a weak attempt to make him feel better the only way she knew how, but Wilykat only cried, and babbled to her in indecipherable sobs the dream he remembered every detail of. 

Just then, both twins jumped in startlement as the door to their room flew open, and Panthro and Lion-O stood in the doorway. The others were behind them, and all but Snarf were in their sleep-clothes. "What in blue blazes happened?" Panthro demanded. He held his nunchucks, having woken much the same way Wilykit had. 

"Are you two all right?" Lion-O added, stepping forward, all senses alert. 

"Yeah, we're okay, Lion-O," Wilykit said. "Wilykat just--" 

Wilykat interrupted her, rubbing at his eyes and looking at the floor. "I just had a bad dream, I didn't mean to wake you up." At the skeptical looks from the others, he did look up. "Really, I'm okay." 

One by one they filtered out the door. Tygra poked his head in, smiled, and said, "It happens to the best of us, Wilykat." Then he walked out. 

Wilykat did smile a little, appreciating the comment from the older THunderian. It was as one equal speaks to another, not condescending as Panthro would have sounded, however unintentionally, or babying as Cheetara usually seemed. 

When they were gone, Wilykit looked to her twin. "Are you sure you're okay?" 

Wilykat nodded, hitching ion his chest a title bit and wiping his eyes once again "Yeah I'm okay..." He glanced at the window, which shone bright sunlight through. "It's already morning anyway." 

"Yeah," Wilykit said, standing and retrieving her tunic and belt. "Let's go eat breakfast." 

Wilykat nodded and took his own belt, cinching it around his waist, checking in his pouch and capsules and following his sister out the door. 

At breakfast, although the others got into their normal babble of chat, Wilykat ate his meal in silence, gaining worried looks from Wilykit the whole time. But neither said anything until they were outside, completing their rounds. "You look kind of...bad," Wilykit finished lamely, unable to think of another word. He didn't look sick, or sad, or mad. Just...haunted, a word her literal mind wouldn't think of. 

Wilykat sighed. "I'm okay, don't you believe me?" 

"I-I do, you just kind of look like Mumm-Ra did when you showed him your reflection." She paused then couldn't help a grin. "Boy you sure showed him!" 

Wilykat also smiled a little, remembering how good he'd felt with himself after saving his sister for once, not the other way around. "Thanks," he said simply, but it was all that was needed. 

Throughout the day, Wilykat seemed pretty much as usual, and he and Wilykit had a pleasant day, patrolling part of it and playing the rest. Come night, Wilykat was a little reluctant, fearing the horrifying dream would return, but as he lay his head down and went to sleep, he had a feeling it would not be back. And he had been right. 

_Hmmm. So the cub has sensed it, in a subconscious way, but nonetheless. He is deeper than most give him credit for, this will be quite a challenge. _It was not a voice, or a thought...it just..._was_. 

Had Wilykat, maybe even Wilykit not been so sound asleep, they may have sensed something, but as it was they did not. 

The existence that simply _was_ held no further ideas, but only waited. It could afford to. 

Part Four 

Part SIx 

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	6. Chapter 6

6 

"Well what do you think's wrong, Snarf?" Lion-O asked. 

"Brrr, I don't know, Lion-O. I think he's coming down with something. The twins should be kept inside the Lair for a little while." 

Lion-O laughed; not a mocking laugh, but one of gentle affection and amusement. "So because you think Wilykat might be getting a bug, they should both stay in?" 

"Well...if one gets it, you know the other will too..." 

"But gets _what,_ Snarf? They don't look sick to me." 

"Well...Wilykat's just acting strange the last couple of days. He's acting distant kind of, or nervous or something. And quiet. You know the twins are never quiet unless they're either sick or they're up to something." 

Lion-O laughed aloud this time. "Well odds are it's the latter and not the former. Wait a little longer before you try to get them to do something that'll drive all of Cat's Lair including the twins, up a wall, okay? Let's just see what happens." 

"Well...all right, Lion-O. But I tell you something's wrong." 

"Okay what's with you?" Wilykit finally demanded, as she and Wilykat soared on their boards. 

"Huh?" Wilykat turned to face his sister, and nearly ran into a jutting rock, as he had not been facing forward to see it before. "What do you mean?" 

Wilykit gestured. "I mean that. You keep looking behind you like the boogieman's after us." She grinned to let him know she was kidding. 

Wilykat laughed a little, as a reaction...but little of his mind was in it. He glanced back once more. "We're being followed!" he finally declared, a hint of frustration in his voice. "Or watched or something. Yeah watched, we're being watched." He scowled behind him, as if it were the fault of the land, not yielding the stalker his instincts told him was there. 

With a puzzled frown, Wilykit glanced behind her. "Uh wilykat? There's no one there." 

"I know!!" he cried in utter frustration, balling his hands to fists. "But I keep feeling like I'm being watched!" 

His sister did notice he used "me" instead of "us" as he usually did, and she did not think it was just a casual mistake. "Well there's no one here now," she said. Her brother did not answer and Wilykit sighed. "Come on forget it and let's get to those ruins! Think about exploring instead." 

Wilykat shook his head darkly, as if to jostle the feeling from his mind and nodded. "Okay...okay let's do it." He was then still able to cast it from his mind in the face of more interesting pursuits as he sped up and wagged the tail of his board at his sister in a clear challenge. Then he took off. 

"Hey! You cheat!" Wilykit laughed, and took off after him. 

The dream had not plagued Wilykat for a few days, and he was starting to think that it would fade from his memory, but it didn't. As much as his young mind tried to reject the foul, filthy images, he still recalled every detail. Although he did not think about it every minute, if something reminded him of it, he would feel the rage and horror anew as he remembered. It was not fun. But at least it hadn't returned... 

...until tonight. 

It started out the same, as Wilykat in his sleep cast his sheet onto the floor, twisting and turning with his fists clenched. But then small changes happened. he could see the Thundercats saying things, but could 't make them out. He heard the maddening muted murmur of many voices speaking at once, saw their lips moving, and although a cold chill wormed down his back and made him want to shake, he heard no words until the end. 

He struck out at the ThunderCats, as in his first dream, but he felt the rage intensified, maddened by the incessant warble, and the accusing faces as they looked up at him in fear. One can not die in a dream. But _others_ can die in a dream. And that was the horrible part. They died. By his hand. 

And then his sister, bleeding from the wound he'd dealt her earlier. "Jeez, Wilykat," she hissed, sounding like an angry tomcat. "You can't even do that right! I was unarmed, and you didn't even manage to kill me!" 

Wilykat whirled, the part of his mind that cowered in terror of this dream hurt, as always by his sister's taunts but more by the voice that told him she meant it. But the part of his mind that seemed to be controlling him at the moment felt only a rush of white rage at the comment. How dare she? He raised his blade and slashed. 

Once again Wilykat was awakened, but not by an shriek of terror, but by a low hissing sound. Puzzled, she opened her eyes and saw that although Wilykat had not screamed, he was trying to. His throat was dry, making him unable to scream aloud. It was night, and in the dim room, her feline eyes made out his terrified face and felt a rush of fear herself now. Something was going on that she couldn't explain. She felt it as Wilykat had felt as they were being watched these last few days. Although neither of them knew it (as Wilykat was becoming convinced it was his imagination) both were right. 

This time Wilykit did not get up to comfort him. She didn't think she could this time. Maybe the next but not now. She lay back down as if she had not heard her brother's scream attempt and closed her eyes, even as Wilykat lay back down whimpering softly and clutching the sheet he'd thrown to the ground. 

Neither kitten got much sleep that night. 

"Are you sure you're up to this?" Panthro asked the twins gruffly, then looked closer at Wilykat. "Maybe Snarf's right, maybe you're coming down with something, Wilykat." 

"Yeah!" Snarf said, choosing this moment to reiterate his worries about the young twins. "See? Even Panthro says so!" He turned to Wilykit. "And if Wilykat gets it, so will you!" 

Wilykat sighed in aggravation, a look of intolerance on his face that Panthro was a little surprised to see, at least on the male twin. Wilykit was a different story. "I _told_ you I'm fine, Snarf! Come on, I'm not a baby!" 

Snarf's ears drooped. "Brrr, I know that, Wilykat. but still, Lion-O's not either, and I still take care of him, keep him out of trouble..." 

Wilykit giggled at Lion-O's long suffering look, and even Wilykat laughed at that. Then he sighed. "It's only the Mutants, Snarf. I can handle it. Really." 

"Well...okay." not quite ready to give up, he said, "But you have to promise to see Tygra so he can check for illness...and get some more sleep too." 

As Wilykit rolled her eyes, Wilykat said, "Okay, okay, I promise. NOW can we go?" 

"All right!" Panthro said, not giving Snarf a chance to reply. "Let's do it!" He leapt into the ThunderTank, the twins hovering behind it on their boards. 

"Hoo, hoo! Run, you ridiculous sheep!" Monkian's primitive face held an equally primitive malice as he dove low on his Skycutter, cutting down a house from which a mother Bolkin only escaped with her three children by the barest inch. The infant in her arms wailed at the noise, and the two older ones cried in fright. 

Jackalman and S-S-Slithe were on the ground, having used the Fistpounder to get there, and were attacking at random. It seemed like a random attack, anyway. Monkian, S-S-Slithe, and the jackal created chaos, while Vultureman skulked in the village unnoticed by the panicked Bolkins, looking for city hall. It had been rumored that the Bolkins had hidden there the remains of two of the Mutants' vehicles, that they had lost in one battle or another. They miserable little wretches were probably gonna sell them or the parts to get money for their pathetic little village. 

Vultureman had only just located city hall...he had actually passed it a few times and not noticed, since it was no different looking than the rest of the village, and he'd not noticed it. But finally he saw the sign labeling the large hut. 

But he never got inside. 

"Forget it, Mutants!" came a powerful voice above the roar of a powerful machine. Panthro stood in the ThunderTank, nunchucks at the ready, as Lion-O piloted. They skidded to a halt as Cheetara fired the 'Tank's guns at Monkian, and suddenly he wasn't having such a great time in the air, Instead of blasting the homes of the peaceful Bolkins, he was dodging death. 

Vultureman was experiencing the wrath of Panthro as the ThunderCat leapt for him, and the cowardly buzzard ran, squawking and jumping as Panthro fired at him. He ran all the way to the Fistpounder. 

As S-S-Slithe saw the imminent battle, he commanded Jackalman to join him and the buzzard at their powerful tank, and he ran. 

Jackalman did not, As S-S-Slithe began using the Fistpounder against the ThunderTank, requiring Lion-O to drive, Cheetara doing double duty firing on it and Monkian's Skycutter, and Panthro firing at the Mutant tank's drivers. 

Jackalman snarled. He had seen the Thunderkittens. Tygra began to help the kittens with their adversary, but Wilykat said, "No! We got him Tygra, it's okay...go help the others." He looked, and Panthro's mighty tank was very small against its rival. Although powerful size was still going to be a disadvantage for it. 

Tygra started to say something, realized that Wilykat was right, and left. 

"I've got a score to settle with you!" Jackalman half growled, half whined. "You got me in trouble with Mumm-Ra!" 

Despite the situation, and the jackal slowly advancing on their hovering boards, Wilykit said incredulously, "Us?! What did we do?" 

Jackalman growled. "I heard you talking about going to Mumm-Ra's pyramid, and when I told him, he fried me!" 

Wilykat burst out laughing, and after a moment Wilykit did too. "That's what you get for allying with the side of evil!" The male twin called, and Jackalman attacked. 

That fight was short. Wilykit fought with her usual aggressiveness, but it was not she that won the fight. It was Wilykat. 

After a few moments in fact, she backed away and only watched with a shocked fascination as Wilykat fought the jackal alone, fighting with a brutal, savage intensity Wilykit didn't think he possessed. Wilykat had taken a lot of hits, but didn't seem to feel them, even as he was cast from his spaceboard and tackled his adversary. 

Caught off guard, the jackal fell, and the two grappled on the ground. Wilykat used his teeth, his claws, as well as his lariat and capsules, and finally Jackalman wrested himself from the kitten's clawed grasp and ran for the Fistpounder, which was also retreating. 

Wilykat hissed angrily and took his lariat from where it had fallen on the ground. He found a sharp rock and looped the rope around it, twirling it rapidly then letting go of one end, sending the rock hurtling towards Jackalman with great accuracy. 

The rock struck him and sent him down and out cold. 

"HA!" Panthro crowed, glaring after the retreating vehicle. "You'll think twice before messing with the ThunderCats' allies again!" He had not seen the fight with the jackal. None of them had. 

As Wilykat picked himself off of the ground, glaring after the Mutants, he wiped his mouth and was very surprised to see his arm come away red on top of the tan. He only stared at it for a while. 

Wilykit however was staring at _him._ She was staring _warily_ at him, not quite sure what to say. At the moment nothing came. 

"All right, ThunderCats," Lion-O said. "Let's help our friends clean up, and we can help tend any wounded. Blasted Mutants. Always have to destroy something." 

But Tygra had noticed the twins, particularly Wilykat who looked more hurt than he was. "Wait, Lion-O, there were some injuries on our side." He jumped down form the ThunderTank and took Wilykat gently by the shoulders and looked at him. "Yeah...why don't we end Wilykit and Wilykat home, Lion-O? Looks like they had a rough fight." 

"Aw, Tygra!" Wilykit protested. "We can stay, we're okay!" 

Lion-O shook his head. "No, Tygra is right." The young leader put up a hand to still her protest. "No. Had one of us been injured like that, we would go as well. We can finish up here. You and Wilykat go home." 

Seeing the young feline gear up for a last protest, Tygra added, "Come on guys. There'll be another time." 

Wilykit sighed dejectedly. "All right, Tygra. Come on, Wilykat." 

Numbly, Wilykat nodded and followed his sister to the spaceboards, and as the adrenaline waned, he felt tired, not to mention feeling his various hurts. But still he felt anger! Even after the battle was over, and the Mutants driven away, he wanted to hurt Jackalman! 

Trying not to think about it, he followed Wilykit home. He was just tired, that's all. He just needed some rest like Snarf said, or he was sick... That was all. 

Part Five 

Part Seven 

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	7. Chapter 7

7 

Wilykit tried many times to get her brother to tell her what was wrong, and he had replied once, only after she'd pestered him for a while. "I don't know!" he snapped. "I just...I don't know. It was weird. I've been...tense you know? And Jackalman ticked me off. I just...I got mad, and that made me fight more." He rubbed his arm. "Boy I'm sore now, too." 

Wilykit looked at him worriedly. "I never saw you fight like that before." 

"Well..I have." Wilykit scowled. 

"Right...okay...well maybe you should just rest the rest of the day?" 

Wilykat began to make an indignant protest, then only sighed. "Yeah, think I will. 

Wilykat stripped and took a shower, and spent the rest of the day nude. By the end, even though he got worried visits seperately from Tygra and Lion-O, he was feeling better. 

Wilykat took it easy for a few days. Although they were not needed to fight, still he didn't go out to play, and he did not wrestle with his sister or play hide-and-seek. He only relaxed...and after a few days he felt like himself. Almost. 

He still felt like he was being watched. It was pissing him off. 

The dream, although not having plagued him in a week, finally did return to him, much to his dismay. The same one...although _not_ the same. There was a subtle differencem in that he could hear individual words here and there in the babble. "Worthless", "failure", "pathetic"...these were words he heard from the ThunderCats. It ended the same. It always did. 

But at least he didn't wake his sister with his scream...he did not scream. Only cried and silently punched his pillow. Why were these dreams coming to im? What did he ever do? He'd never attack the ThunderCats, and his sister...never! 

It came back in four days. Then three, then four... It varied, but the spans were getting shorter and shorter. 

Tygra and Snarf worried about him, he aleady knew that, but even his sister was afraid. He'd not been eating much, and had been so moody. He never wanted to play, and sometimes acted like he didn't want to be around him, especially his sister, which hurt her. She thought he was angry at her for no reason. 

The truth was, Wilykat was both angry and scared. He was angry because she was so much stronger than he, and better at fighting; she'd not said anyhting about it, but she was thinking it. He _knew_ she was! 

He spent a lot of time locked in his room, just to get away fro the others' worried queries. They were treating him like a baby! Like he coudln't even take care of himself! They thought he was weak? He wasn't! He'd show them. He would! Just wait until next they fought the bad guys, he'd show _them_ who was weak! 

That did not happen until a week and a half later. 

The dreams tormented Wilykat's stressed mind every night now, and each time the voices became louder, more distinct. He could understand things. All spoke at once, each wityh his own, fearful, accusing face turned up to Wilykat as he slashed out in his desperate attempt to vanquish them, to just silence the maddening accusations and battering insults. But it didn't work. 

"You'll never be a worthwile ThuderCat!" Lion-O snarled. "Even Snarf has more courgae than you!" 

"You're slow, clumsy!" Cheetara hissed. 

"Desnse! You can't even learn simple combat moves!" This was Panthro, and these words were growled so low, that they almost sounded like the rumble of a powerful machine. They cut deep into Wilykat's heart, and he stabbed at the panther in his dream. Bleeding, Panthro yet continued to tear the young ThunderCat down. 

Tygra shook his head. "We gave you chances. All the time! Your sister managed to fight and win, why can't you? You only have to have the rest of us save your ass." Not screaming or even raising his voice, Tygra's cold words hurt more than others could...but they did not hurt as much as Wilykit did. 

They _never_ could hurt that much. 

"See?" she said smugly. "Even THEY all think so! I'm embarrased you're my brother. When people say we're twins, they think we're alike! It's embarrassing they think I'm like you." She had such a look of disgust on her face that Wilykat...the part of him that had always cowered, and cried...did not cower and cry. In this dream, he was angry, and did not shriek when the other part of his mind struck. 

This time he _did_ scream He woke Wilykit up once more...but when she sat next to him to comfort him, he pushed her away, kicking his sheet off of him, and ran from the room. He spent the night in the library. 

The next day, the Mutants decided that they were going to start an all out war with the ThunderCats with some new allies they had met...and that's when all hell broke loose. 

Part Six 

Part Eight 

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	8. Chapter 8

8 

"Lion-O!" Wilykit yelled into the intercom that broadcasted throughout Cats' Lair. There was a loud explosion outside, and the whole lair shook, knocking Wilykit off her usually nimble feet. She'd been manning the control room alone for the first time since they had been on this new planet. 

She got back up. "We're under attack! It's the Mutants, and...and...I don't _know _what!" she finished helplessly. She ran back to the computer console and the viewscreen, where it showed Skycutters and the Flying Machine in the air, the Fistpounder and four humans? below. The young ThunderCat scowled and jumped at the laser cannons, firing at the elusive Skycutters. 

She nearly jumped out of her hide when a large face filled the viewscreen, and Monkian's leer was aimed right at her. "Hoo hoo!" he laughed. "So, only a little Thunderkitten defends against the Mutants, and the Berzerkers. Good! Easier for us to take over." Having gloated, the image switched off, and the angry Thunderkitten clenched her fists and blocked communications so that her view of what went on outside would not be blotted out. She fired again. 

At that moment, all the other ThunderCats came rushing in, including Wilykat, just now struggling into a boot as he did. They all looked up at the screen. "What in the name of Jaga is that?" Panthro demanded. "There's more of them!" 

"Four," Wilykit said tersely. "Monkian called them...Berzerkers?" 

Lion-O frowned as the Lair shook once more. "Well they've chosen the wrong felines to attack! ThunderCats, get to the hangar! Wilykat, Snarf, you three stay in here with Wilykit, man the weapons! The ThunderTank is little help against sky vehicles, and we have no others!" 

All nodded and dashed off to their battlestations...teamwork was a vital part of their success...but one. Wilykat's eyes nearly flashed out in anger. 

"No way, Lion-O!" he growled. "You can't keep me in on this one! I'm a fighter too; I got a score to settle with those Mutants!" 

Lion-O raised a brow and looked down at Wilykat in surprise. he felt a flash of anger, but also puzzlement at the unprovoked words...he had never > heard the usually quiet Wilykat speak to him like that. "Now just a minute, Wilykat. _Someone _needs to stay here and man the weapons, and you and Wilykit are good shots. I need you here; we have a plenty big enough crew for the Thundertank already." 

As Panthro had paused in his own sprint for the hangar, hearing the boy's words, he backtracked and peeked in. He was just in time to see and hear Wilykat narrow his eyes and snarl, actually snarl, at the Lord of the ThunderCats. "No! I won't! I'm through with you treating me like a newborn cub! What, are you afraid I'll get too strong? Is that threatening?!" 

As Lion-O only stared in surprise, and a crunching noise could be heard from down below as a Mutant shot crumbled part of one of the Lair's paws, 

Panthro growled angrily. He stormed into the room as Wilykit turned around and fired at Vultureman, singeing a wing of his infernal Flying Machine. Panthro reached down and grabbed Wilykat by the throat, actually _grabbed_ him by the throat. Wilykat would have made an angry protest if he hadn't been so surprised. Panthro lifted him into the air. "I ever hear you talk to your lord that way again, cub, and I'll make sure you don't leave the Lair your whole damned life!" He wasn't hurting the boy, at least not much, but he sure had intimidated him; that much was apparent from his shocked, wide eyes, and the "o" his mouth made. Panthro shook him a little and squeezed just enough that the young cub got the message. "Is that understood?!" 

Wilykat nodded immediately, actual fear replacing the constant anger and hurt that seemed to follow after him so much. Panthro dropped him, and he landed on his feet, backing away quickly from the irate panther. Panthro stalked out. 

Not sure what to say, Lion-O only ran after him, the urgency of the situation being the only thing that kept him from staying. 

Wilykat did hear, as the two adults left: "I don't know if it was necessary to be that rough on him, Panthro." Panthro made some reply, but the boy couldn't hear it, as they moved from earshot. He looked at the screen. 

"Ohhh, snaaaarf," Snarf said in a low worried voice. But he wasn't looking at the attackers on the outside, he was looking at Wilykat. 

"Guys!" came Wilykit's frantic voice. She was firing the laser cannons, but she couldn't hit _everything_. The Skycutters were pretty nimble, even if they did look like big, clumsy bats, and they were landing far more hits on the Lair than the other way around. 

Wilykat was still a little shaken, but not enough to snap, "Shut up! Just shut up! You don't have to act like you're the only one who ever does anything! Panthro grabbed me by my THROAT! Then you act like it's MY fault! It's not! It's NOT my fault! It's not!" Wilykat's voice rose to a childish shriek, as he clenched his fists and growled. 

Wilykit's eyes widened, as she turned around to stare at her brother. As distant as he'd seemed...almost afraid to get anywhere near her half the time and mad at her the rest of the time; he'd never quite said anything like that before. 

She might have gone on staring like that for a much longer time, had not another hard hit struck the Lair, shaking all three occupants to the floor once more, and taking out one of the fire cannons. Wilykit was startled back to the task at hand and began the fight once more. 

It also startled Wilykat from what he had been about to say, and he stood up growling. He looked furiously out at the Skycutter than had made the shot and jumped to the second laser turret nd began blasting like mad. "Jerk-off!" he yelled. 

Snarf also had manned a station, the remaining fire cannon, and was launching the fireballs at the Mutants. 

Down below, the might ThunderTank roared into battle. Panthro had only that very morning given the thing a tune up, and it purred, well, like a kitten. Of course it roared like a lion, too. "You've made a mistake this time!" Panthro yelled. With the Lair above, firing on the fliers, Cheetara at the guns could concentrate on the Mutant menace of the Fistpounder...and that was a blessing. The weapon was powerful, and kept the S-S-slithe busy. 

But then there were the strangers. 

"Oy think these cats should go back to their_ own _planet, hey Top Spinner?" one of the strange beings cried in a high-pitched and heavily accented voice to one of the others. He had been the one that the ThunderCats had noticed first. Dressed in clumpy-looking iron and cloth clothing, he tromped when he ran...and he looked clumsy as hell. but that was not the big surprise. this man had a wheel in his chest. 

"Aye!" the shortest of them, presumably Top Spinner, agreed. "Aye! Aye! They be pussies, they be!" The shot little guy, carrying a mace and a shield that practically covered his whole body, laughed and advanced, the cats finally having left the building to engage them. 

Tygra was looking at the beings in puzzlement, and a little amusement. "They don't look too threatening, do they?" He said. 

Lion-O shook his head, and got on the radio to tell the Lair team to withdraw the drawbridge, and was happy to see it got done. "That big one over there would be hell to fight one on one...and the leader, the one barking orders, could do some damage with that hand, but not against a tank, or the Lair." 

Tygra nodded. "Let's go out and show them why attacking Cats' Lair was a bad idea, while Cheetara and Panthro deal with these Mutants?" 

"Good idea! After you!" The young lord grinned, and Tygra and he jumped from the vehicle. 

"Lads!" The leader cried. "Ram Bam! Get into that thar cat box, an' open it up fer us! These cats aren't too hospitable, so looks we're gonna have to invite _ourselves_ in!" The metal fisted human laughed, as the skinny one acknowledged the order and ran towards the Lair. "Go berzerk, berzerk, berzerk!" 

Idiot, Panthro thought as he piloted the ThunderTank. The drawbridge isn't there! Not being able to resist it, he looked back as he drove forward towards the Fistpounder once more to see what the skinny pirate would do. 

Frankly, Lion-O nd Tygra also thought he'd be taking a long drop in the moat, but then both gaped, their mouths open, as the pirate dropped to the ground like a soldier hitting the deck, and tucked his hands at his sides. He _raced _along the ground, like some lunatic wheelbarrow, and launched himself in the air! "What in the name of Jaga?!" Tygra stared openmouthed, and his second thought was how many other powers these strange beings had. 

Tygra and Lion-O did not get to see what happened next, although they were very concerned about it. They very suddenly had a lot more...immediate things to worry about. "Aagh!" Lion-O grunted, half crying out in pain, as someone grabbed the muscular cat from behind in a bear hug, massive arms circling his torso and lifting the young lord off the ground as if he were a kitten of five years old. "Hey! Put me down, Berzerker!" Boy was that a fitting name, he had time to think! 

He had dropped the Sword of Omens due to the surprise attack, and was far too distracted to call it at the moment. But he was no weakling. He fought, straining to free himself from what felt like metal bands tightening around his torso, squeezing the breath from him, and making him thrash violently to free himself. 

"All right, that's IT!" Tygra shouted, and stepped back. He took his bolo whip and drew it back, hauling his arm back for a massive, powerstrike on the large guy whose strength seemed mechanically enhanced... 

...but the next minute the tiger felt himself being hauled off his feet and thrown several yards away to sprawl in complete surprise next to his weapon. He looked up. Damn! The metal fisted leader was strong, very strong, and he still had a hold of the bolas at the end of his whip! "This is ThunderCat territory! Leave peacefully and we will cease our attack!" The peaceful way might be the way to resolve this one...but the answer he got was a move faster than he would have expected the leader of the group to be able to move. He rolled to the side just as a massive fist made a hole a foot deep in the ground. "Great Jaga." These would be tougher adversaries than he thought. 

Part Seven 

Part Nine 

Table of Contents   
ThunderCat Stories Page   
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	9. Chapter 9

9 

As the ThunderCats were discovering that their adversaries were tougher than they had thought, Ram Bam meanwhile had made it...all the way to the other side of the moat. He landed, skidded, and just kept right on going. 

Even as he fought, Lion-O had time to marvel at this act of idiocy, realizing he was going to hit the door headfirst. He did not know that hitting the door headfirst was the strange man's intention. Ram Bam did hit the door, and going quite fast. As his armored helmet struck the heavy doors, the top blew, literally blew, and blasted a hole in them. At the force of this assault, they sprung open, one of them nearly off its hinges. The raider himself careened off to the side and sat on his rear end for a moment, dazed and dizzy. Then he shook it off, as he had done this many times, and laughed, kicking in the door. "Where are you, you, you?!" he called, his tone mocking. "Hide and Seek is it? I were the Hide and Seek champion of all me mates when I were young! Ready or not, here I come, come, come!" The man's strange, strong accent made the words sound more like "hoid an' seek" 

Up in the control room, the Thunderkittens fired furiously. Outside it was a full blown battle, and Wilykit kind of wanted to be down there fighting, but still she was one of the better shots, and was of more use in the control room in this instance. 

Wilykit was fighting to help the others, Wilykat was fighting for a completely different reason: he was mad. He was infuriated. When she paused once to look at him, what she saw was not pleasing. The young ThunderCat was thin, thinner than usual, as he'd not been eating, and the dark circles under his eyes made him look like he was on some kind of drug. The blaze in his eyes scared her too, because she'd never seen her usually somewhat mild- mannered brother act like that before. Never. In those eyes she saw fear, paranoia, anger...hate. 

Then the Lair was rocked by a sharp blast from the Fistpounder, and Wilykit once again had to focus all her attention on firing, but then she saw the skinny invader gain entry. 

He was looking in the rooms he passed, but he had seen the shots were coming from the top, and figured to be able to see that well, they had to be firing from there as well. He headed up the stairs, still calling in his jeeringly playful voice for them to come out, come out, wherever they were. 

Wilykat turned around. "Who the hell is that?" he growled, a dark scowl across his kitten's face. 

Wilykit also spun around. "Great, he's inside, Wilykat!" 

There was a polite knock at the door, a mockery of etiquette. "Can I come in and play?" There was a high pitched titter, and then silence for a minute. 

Having seen what he had done a minute ago to the front doors, Wilykit's eyes widened, and while Snarf dove to one side, she tackled her brother, who had not realized. "Look out!" 

The two kittens fell to the side, just as the skinny Berzerker burst through the control room doors, which *had* been locked. Now they were a twisted ruin. They still _were_ locked, but that no longer did any good. 

"Ah there you are!" he cried, getting up a little unsteadily. He looked a little goofy and clumsy, but no less dangerous. In fact his slightly off-kilter personality made him seem more sinister. 

"Get off me!" Wilykat yelled angrily, shoving his sister off of him. "I knew he was coming in!" he lied. "I'm not stupid! you don't have to _protect_ me all the time!" His voice was both angry and frustrated, but there was a slight pleading sound to it. He didn't like yelling at his sister, but more and more it seemed she didn't care, she didn't care what he wanted! 

"What! you couldn't have moved in time I didn't want you to get hurt, you...creep!" 

"Aw, so you be fighting each other," the skinny invader sneered. The kittens stopped their quarrel long enough to face him. "Now, my captain wants me t' secure this place, an you two catlings are in me way! Now, you can go, an' leave me t' do what I'm supposed to, or you cin fight and die, die die!!" 

Before anyone could say anything, Wilykat snarled, and clutched an explosive pellet in his hand. "ThunderCats never surrender!" he cried, and leapt lithely at the stranger. 

"Yeah!" Wilykit agreed, fully with her brother for the first time in many days. 

"Good!" the pirate cried. "I've not spilled blood in too long!" He ran to meet their attack head on. 

Snarf was no use in this fight, as with the kittens' pellets, and the all out brawl between the three, he couldn't see to strike! Instead, the worried Snarf kept firing on the fighters outside, hoping they'd just leave, and call this...this..._ruffian_ off! 

But that was not to happen. Ram Bam was skinny, as skinny for his height as the Thunderkittens, but this strength was deceptive. His thin, abnormally long arms had tendons like steel, and there were mechanical enhancements besides the wheel, in his chest and legs. He was not just a skinny pirate, he was partly machine. Mostly human perhaps, but enough machine to pose a serious threat. 

As the three tussled on the floor amidst the smoke from the pellets, Wilykit suddenly yelped as someone hit her in the arm. She had assumed at first it was the pirate, but realized it was Wilykat. In his all out attack, he wasn't watching where he was striking! "Wilykat, watch i-" she began to say, but then the invader _did_ strike her, with a large fist made of bony fingers, he struck her solidly alongside the head, sending her sprawling several feet away to lie dazed on the floor. 

Wilykat roared. His voice was high and strained, but there was force behind it just the same. "No one does that to my sister!" he shrieked. But then he too was thrown from the intruder. 

"Ha!" he gloated. "Looks like I already did!" He ran forward. "An' now, I'll be disposing of you pests, pests, pests!" 

But Wilykat had simply been thrown, not struck, and he had jumped to his feet as soon as he hit the floor. "I don't think so!" He was out of pellets! He searched frantically, and spotted on the far console, a pair of Panthro's nunchucks. They were broken, the chain between them having been severed in battle by a high powered laser. Panthro had been lucky he wasn't hit, or he'd be very dead. As it was, half the chain nd three fourths of one of the claw tipped dowels had been disintegrated. Wilykat grabbed the surviving rod. It was heavy, even being hollow. It was made of a dense metal, and Wilykat definitely understood how strong Panthro had to be to handle them in long battles, so effortlessly every time. But he was strong enough to handle one rod... 

He whirled around, just as the strange visitor lunged at him, and struck with the heavy rod as he did. 

The small kitten struck chest height, and the weapon bounced off the thick rubber wheel in the freak's chest. It sprang back, taking Wilykat by surprise, and as Snarf helped a recovering Wilykit up, the rod struck Wilykat across his own face, making him stagger back, and gaining him a split lip and a couple of cracked teeth. 

As Wilykit and Snarf winced, and Wilykit moved to help him, the pirate burst out laughing. He clutched his belly and howled with high pitched laughter at the dazed kitten that had nearly knocked himself out. "Oh, you be a _clown_, you be! You're no warrior! Pathetic!" 

Pathetic... An echo of his dreams came to him, and he shook his head, a slow burn of anger heating his cheeks, making him not feel the deep ache of his damaged teeth, the sting of his split lip. "I...am...not...pathetic..." he said in a low growl. but the pirate only kept laughing. It was a mistake. "I AM NOT!!" Wilykat shrieked, and having learned the first time, he changed the angle of his attack, striking for the pirate's face with the rod. 

The laughing pirate had been caught off balance. He stumbled backwards and tripped over his large boots, falling to the floor. Before he had time to recover, before even Wilykit could reach them to help her brother, Wilykat was on him, swinging wildly with the heavy half of Panthro's nunchucks. The cut chain even struck him a couple of times, but he didn't notice. "I'm NOT worthless!" he screamed, even though the pirate had not said that. He was reliving his dreams. 

*WEAK!* 

"I'm NOT!" Wilykat slammed the rod against the explosive helmet the pirate wore. It went off, blasting a flame four feet from its top, and nearly searing Snarf's fur off, had he not jumped from the way. 

*UNPREDICATABLE!* 

Another blow to the face, and another. Wilykat had already struck the pirate enough times for him to want to surrender, but with the boy straddling him and swinging the rod, he found he couldn't get away in time before he was struck, once again leaving him stunned. 

*DISHONORABLE!* 

Wilykat was not usually strong. But adrenaline that could allow a slim, slight statured Wollo mother lift a heavily laden cart off her pinned child, that let Panthro lift the ThunderTank if his friends were trapped underneath it, that let average beings perform feats far beyond their normal scope of strength and endurance out of love, hate, anger, or frustration, gave Wilykat power. 

*CLUMSY!* 

*INEPT!* 

*WORTHLESS!* 

"Shut up, shut up, shut up!!" Wilykat's voice was a childish treble, tears streaming unheeded from his eyes. 

Wilykit had only been able to stare, horrified, at Wilykat's viscous attack. As the shock began to wear off a little she also saw the pirate was no longer fighting back. "Wilykat stop!" she yelled, crying herself now in fear as Snarf shakily paced back and forth, wringing his hands, unsure of what to do. "Wilykat, he's out, he's out, stop hitting him!" 

When her brother didn't answer, Wilykit darted forward, and grabbed her brother's shoulder. 

Wilykat spun madly, and swiped, striking his sister full across the face, and opening a gash on her cheek from the clawed end. He blinked, panting heavily, shaking, clutching the rod, his eyes wide. 

Wilykit was knocked to the floor, holding her cheek, and staring, just as shocked at her brother. The room was very very silent, even as the outside attack still afforded a strike every once in a while, shaking the Lair down to its foundations. It still was quiet for those within. She stared, hurt, both inside and out, although inside she hurt worse. "W-Wilykat, you..." 

As he realized what he did, Wilykat threw the rod (the blue side that now had a disturbing coloring of red on its end) across the room with a cry an anguish and anger, and scrambled to get off of the downed would-be assassin. He was mad, he was mad at Wilykit for trying to protect him and making him feel so frustrated all the time. He was mad for her trying to interfere, and see what happened? It wasn't his fault, it wasn't! 

"Wilykat wait!" Wilykit yelled. "Please!" She started after him as he bolted from the door, but staggered, that second blow to the head area having hurt her more than she'd thought. Putting a hand on the door, she watched her brother until he turned the corner, headed for their room. Still she stared. 

"Brrrr," Snarf said quietly. He gently took Wilykit's hand and led her from the door. "What's happening to him, Wilykit?" 

"I-I...I don't KNOW Snarf! I-I just don't know him, I don't know why he's like this! I-I-I mean everyone always thinks I should know, and I don't, not always!" 

"Shhh, all right, it's okay, we'll figure out out, snarf snarf..." but Snarf did not sound confident of this fact. 

Wilykit gulped and bravely tried to wipe the tears, but for once in her life, well perhaps not only once, but since she had been on Third Earth, she could not stop the new ones from coming. "S-Snarf...look...look at what he- he..." She didn't have to finish the sentence, as it was apparent. The Berzerker's face was a bloody mess, and even Wilykit could see that his left elbow had been shattered by her own brother's enraged attack. Blood seeped from the pirate's nose and his pummeled mouth, and even from his ears, and people just were not supposed to bleed from there! "H-he's unconscious, right?" 

"I don't know, Wilykit.." It was Snarf's uncertainty that scared Wilykit the most. Gulping himself, Snarf cautiously touched the Berzerker's arm; he didn't move. biting his lip he knelt, went to place a hand on his chest to check for breathing, realized the wheel prevented this, and checked instead his wrist pulse. 

Even behind his white whiskers, Wilykit could see him pale. He checked the throat's pulse...then he quickly withdrew a shaking hand from the pirate. "Oh, Wilykat, what've you done?" he murmured. 

"What?!" Wilykit demanded. "What, what did he do?!" 

"He...he's not unconscious, Wilykit," the kindhearted Snarf told her. "There's no other way to say it...I'm afraid he's dead." 

Wilykit only stared at first, then it was if her knees unhinged. She sank against the wall, and even as the tide in the outside battle slowly turned, she put her head in her arms and sobbed like a kitten of four. 

Not knowing what else to do, Snarf went to her side and drew her to him, even though she was bigger than him. To the loyal Snarf she'd always be a child, as Lion-O would. He held her, and smoothed back her mane, whispering over and over that it would be all right. 

But both of them knew that it was not. 

Part Eight 

Part Ten 

Table of Contents   
ThunderCat Stories Page   
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	10. Chapter 10

10 

"Snarf! What happened?!" Tygra had been the first in the room. When the Lair had stopped firing, the ThunderCats feared the worst. As it was, they already thought something had happened, as Wilykit was crying hard, and Wilykat was gone. 

Then Tygra saw the invader. "Great Jaga!" 

Lion-O came into the room, followed by the others. Lion-O had taken a beating at the hands of the large Berzerker, and had suffered a set of minorly fractured ribs, but he was strong, and was dealing with it well enough. It wasn't the first time on Third Earth he'd cracked a few ribs. He frowned. "Yes, Snarf. What happened, are you all right, Wilykit? Where's Wilykat?" 

As the others came in and stared, and Tygra knelt to confirm what Snarf had already found out about the Berzerker's condition, Snarf looked up. Not leaving Wilykit's side, he said, "No one's hurt, Lion-O.." He glanced to the dead pirate. "At least none of us. not badly. The twins took some hits, but Wilykat ran off, he..." 

"He what, Snarf?" Tygra asked with a frown. 

Snarf began to answer, but Wilykit looked up and did instead. Wiping her eyes, her words stammered and unsteady with her tears, she said, "W- Wilykat, he just, he took Panthro's broken nunchuks..." She pointed a shaky finger to the bloodied half of Panthro's weapon. "He was out of pellets, a- and...the Berzerker insulted him and he just attacked! He sounded like he was talking to someone else that wasn't here!" it had scared her badly, although she did not want to admit it, and Tygra closed his eyes and went to her. He picked the kitten up and held her. 

A little embarrassed, but very glad of the comfort, Wilykit leaned against his chest and cried. She was a courageous child, but there is only so much a young warrior can deal with. 

Lion-O looked grim, and Panthro's face bore a dark scowl. Cheetara looked unemotional, but that was only her natural defense against the vivid emotions, her mental abilities picking up so strongly on them. She was worried. 

"All right," Lion-O said. "Let's get the injured taken care of. The other attackers retreated; Cheetara hit a lot of them and the other pirate things came to the conclusion that their shipmate deserted, so let's go get taken care of. Then we'll get this sorted out. 

A couple hours and a few more bandages later, the ThunderCats all were gathered in the council room...all minus Wilykat. Wilykit, sporting a couple three fur-friendly bandages on scraped arms or legs, and a larger one on her face and head, sat sullenly, still sniffing a little bit and holding an ice pack to her head. Lion-O, only in his bottoms, his torso tightly wrapped thanks to Tygra's medical handiwork sat silent a moment as he gathered his thoughts. "I talked to Snarf, Wilykit, and got the whole story. You're not in any trouble, so don't worry about that, okay?" The kitten only nodded. Lion-O sighed. "Wilykat's not in his room, I checked while the rest of you were being tended. If he's not in the lower levels of the Lair we might have to go looking for him." 

"Well I guess the first thing we do is search," Tygra said. "But then what?" 

"Maybe we should find him first, then worry about that," Cheetara suggested. "What if he gets hurt?" She paused, then added reluctantly, "Or hurts someone else?" 

Lion-O nodded. "Good idea. Actually, Panthro, you and Tygra got some internal scanners into this thing, didn't you?" 

"Oh yeah...I just installed them a couple of weeks ago." The panther stood. "I'll see what we can find." 

Wilykat was actually on the main level, in the gym. He was in the corner at the large punching bag, a bag that was bigger than he was, and nevertheless moved when he struck it. The young ThunderCat was striking the bag as hard as he could, over and over, ignoring the thin burn in his muscles as they told him to take a rest and he didn't. Ignoring the watery sensation in his knees that was telling him he was overexerting himself, he still he didn't stop. Ignoring the ache in his head from hitting himself with the broken half of Panthro's nunchucks, and only concentrating on his frustrated, furious assault on the bag...== 

He ignored all these things because what he had heard in his mind as if it were shouted in his hear from his dreams hurt worse then his muscles. Knowing, or thinking he knew, that was what the others thought about him hurt more than his knees... Hearing the echo of his sister telling him she was ashamed to be his twin hurt more than his head. 

But him striking her, that hurt worst of all. What made it so awful was that he knew who he was striking at. He had known it was she shaking his shoulder, and he had felt a flash of rage, and turned and struck. It hurt him so badly because he knew he'd meant it. 

"He's about ready to drop," Tygra said softly. They had found Wilykat in 

the gym, striking at the punching bag like a demon. "And he's hurt." Tygra started for the boy, who had not even noticed the others' arrival. 

Lion-O held him back. "Hold on, Tygra. not while he's like this." He gestured to the others, and they approached, blocking Wilykat's way should he decide to run. 

As Lion-O got closer, he could see that Wilykat's knuckles were bloodied, and wondered how long he'd been down there, punching with all his strength. Even he could tell he was at the end of his endurance, and thought he'd been down here a while. "Wilykat," he said quietly. 

Wilykat growled, still not realizing the voice had come from behind him, still thinking he was fighting his own dreams and his own self doubts. "It's not my fault!" he screamed, an he hit the bag. The bag swung, knocking him to the floor. Normally it wouldn't have happened, but his tired body wouldn't hold him up. Still he managed to get up and attack the offending bag. "It isn't! It isn't!" 

"Wilykat!" Lion-O said louder, and stepped forward to touch Wilykat on the shoulder. he now saw he'd been hurt also. 

Wilykat spun, his sweat-damp mane falling in his eyes, panting hard enough to make Tygra a little concerned, and faced his friends. no, his former friends, real friends wouldn't say the things they said. They wouldn't tell him he was worthless. They wouldn't say he was no warrior. They woudln't say they were ashamed. "S-s-stay away from me!" 

"Easy, Wilykat," Lion-O said. "We're just trying to help, and figure out what happened up there." 

"No! It wasn't my fault!" Wilykat staggered against the wall like a cornered animal. "You don't want to help, you hate me! You always did!" 

Wilykit pushed through the adults to look at her brother. "I don't hate you Wilykat! I don't! Why do you think I do?" 

Wilykat didn't answer; he might have, but the battle, and this self- inflicted exhaustion caught up with him, and his knees unhinged. The young kitten fainted. 

He awoke to find he ws in the infirmary, curled up under the covers on one of the beds. His hands had been bandaged, his knuckles, and his mouth felt funny. An exploration of hit teeth with his tongue told him that the two teeth that had been cracked when he'd hit himself had been removed. Luckily the twins still had their baby teeth. Salve had been applied to his bruises and scrapes. 

He was nude, his belt, boots, and tunic lying over a chair on the other side of the room. He felt drained. Never in his life had he felt so completely tired. And he felt awful. He felt awful with all the feelings of hate and paranoia, and anger, but they were real. He had reason to feel like that damn it! 

Wilykat took a few moments after sitting up to make the room stop spinning, and jumped from the bed on weak-feeling legs that felt like they might unhinge once more. But they did not, and he stumbled to the chair and got his clothing. He slipped his ripped tunic over his torso, then cinched his belt around his waist. Then the boots. 

Moving slowly, Wilykat left the room, walking through the halls of the Lair. where normally he would have barreled through, probably chasing his sister, now he felt like a sneak thief, an intruder in someone else's home. He peered around corners to make sure no one was around before turning them. Wilykat was headed for his room, but he passed the council room on the way. He stopped and pressed an ear to the wall. 

"He's become...he's become unpredictable," Tygra said. "I don't know what's wrong with him. Nothing physical is wrong, this seems to be a malaise of the mind." 

What did that mean?! Unpredicatable...from his dream...and malaise? Did they think he was crazy? 

"I know Tygra, but what can we do? I mean, he killed that pirate, and from what Snarf tells me, he was in no danger of _being_ killed when he did it." 

Wilykit sniffed. "And he did it on purpose, too." 

Lion-O sighed. "He's broken our laws. If we can't find a good reason..." 

Cheetara broke in. "But he's only a kitten, Lion-O." 

"I know. That's another consideration." 

"He killed, Lion-O!" Panthro said. "And he's been fighting us, yelling at us for weeks! What he did was dishonorable!" 

Dishonorable... 

"I know, I know that Panthro!" Lion-O nearly roared. "You think I don't know? I don't like this, all right?" Then he calmed down. "Look, when he wakes I'll talk to him. 

Tygra said something else, but Wilykat did not hear. He felt numb. He was right, they didn't want to help! 

He/'d leave. They didn't want him here so he'd leave, but...not now. He couldn't now. 

Still weary, he stumbled back to the med room and climbed into then bed. 

Closing his eyes, he once again slept. 

And dreamt. 

"He's been up," Tygra's voice said. "He's clothed." "Yeah..." Lion-O sighed, and gently shook the kitten's shoulder. "Wilykat, you have to wake up." 

As Wilykit watched anxiously, and the others hovered back a little distance, Wilykat sat bolt upright, grateful for the interruption. He's been about to strike his sister down for the second and final time, and by this point in the horrible nightmares, the accusatory voices of the ThunderCats were at an unbearable shriek, and he felt no remorse when he landed the final blow... 

But when he saw who had awakened him, he growled, and jumped from the bed, backing towards the corner. 

Panthro sighed. "I;ve had enough of this." He stalked over, grabbed the boy's shoulders, and forced him into a chair. "Stay put," he warned, and slowly let go. 

Wilykat glared at the panther but still feared him. He knew how strong he was. He knew which one would be smeared all over the floor in a serious fight. He sat. 

"Wilykat," Lion-O began. He also sat in a chair. "Snarf told me what happened up there. Do you realize that you killed that pirate?" 

"So?" Wilykat said defensively. "He deserved it! He's just like the rest of you, you all think I'm clumsy and stupid, and he deserved it!" 

Tygra started to say something, but Lion-O, perhaps unwisely, stopped him. "So then you did it purposefully?" 

"I-I...I did! He deserved it, it was his fault, he was gonna kill us!" 

"But you were in no immediate danger." 

"I don't care," Wilykat growled. "He's dead, a-and...and I'm glad!" 

Lion-O closed his eyes, sighed, and stood. In a low tone that indicated part anger and part remorse, he said, "Wilykat don't know what's going on, or why you say we hate you. But until this is over with you are confined to Cats' Lair, and you will have a full physical examination by Tygra in the next few days." 

Wilykat also stood in indignation, anger flashing across his face. "You can't mak--" 

"Quiet," Lion-O said, still in that low tone, but with an intensity that stilled whatever the young ThunderCat had been about to say. "And until we figure out what's wrong...I am going to have to ask for your insignia." At the boy's horrified face, he shook his head. "You killed, and unnecessarily, Wilykat. You sat there and struck that pirate until he was dead. That goes against everything our code stands for." 

Although Lion-O spoke softly, even sadly, Wilykat nevertheless heard the accusation. He heard wrong, but to his mind, it was plain as day, and tears of humiliation and hurt rolled down his face. He didn't notice them. "Fine!! Just get rid of me! you don't need me anyway!" The boy detached the thin disk from his belt and threw it at Lion-O, then stalked from the room. 

Wilykit began to go after him, but Lion-O stopped her. "No, Wilykit," he said in a tired voice. "Let him be. He needs to be alone." 

Wilykat had gone back to their quarters and threw himself on the bed to cry. He didn't care if anyone saw him, they already thought him weak and a coward, no need to be macho about tears. He didn't care, he'd already lost everything. His sister hated him, the others thought he was a killer. The worst thing was he _was_ a killer, and he knew it. 

But he wasn't weak! That proved it! That pirate had been twice his size and he'd defeated him. Alone. Without any help. He wasn't weak, he wasn't... 

So much confusion. So much resentment and hurt and fear and anger. He wasn't someone who thought very deeply on these things, as what child did? But now he thought of them... Dishonorable? Who were they to judge him? Worthless? He'd just rid Third Earth of a slime! Weak? He'd done it on his own, and injured too! 

_Good. These are the right feelings. And the ThunderCats responded well._

It was _there_ again, with its ideas that were not thoughts or words, only ideas. Feelings. 

_And they have no idea._

Part Nine 

Part Eleven 

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	11. Chapter 11

11 

The man shaped sarcophagus' lid echoed in the empty chamber as it slid open. A low rumble of irritation came from within. This was beginning to anger the demon priest. For days now, he'd felt as if there were something going on around Third Earth that he should be aware of...and yet his cauldron showed him nothing. For a brief moment he thought he knew how Lion-O felt when his thrice-damned sword growled at him but didn't show him anything. "Nothing!" he cried in frustration. He kicked the side of the pool lightly. "Why? My senses have never failed me before, why do you refuse to show me what is happening?" 

Mumm-Ra turned to the four figures that hovered above the rank-smelling pool. "What is happening, great ones?" he asked, not really expecting an answer. He got none. Looking back down, he shook his bandaged head. The next time, if he was strong enough, he would transform, and see just what was going on. 

With a whisper of ancient cloth dragging along the stone floor, he returned to his rest. 

*** 

Wilykat was, in fact, restricted to the Lair. All of the ThunderCats had, at one point, tried to talk with him, but he'd walked away with his hands over his ears. Once when Panthro tried, Wilykat had kicked him, right in the shin. Panthro hadn't tried again. He didn't want to hurt the kid. 

Well, actually he did. That was why he did not try again. 

Life went on as usual, though. The Mutants were being a pain, and even there remaining three Berzerker types had tried to get their revenge once they learned what had happened to their crew member. Ram Bam had been taken and set up on a funeral pyre in the rocky regions near Dark Side, the mysterious forbidden territory. 

The heroes of Third Earth drove them back each time, but it was as a robot performs its programmed duty. They did it because they had to and to protect the friends they had on Third Earth. No one enjoyed battle, and some often did. They were too concerned with their _own _crew member, and his increasing darkness. 

I don't understand it," Cheetara mused, shaking her head. "I feel...I feel some thing that I should not feel from _any_ child. I feel a deep...dark. That's the only way I can describe it." 

Tygra frowned. He and Cheetara were talking it over between themselves. "Why do you think...I mean we don't treat him _that_ badly, do we?" 

Wilykit heard this snatch of conversation as she walked past. Even she had been avoiding her brother, even going so far as to sleep in a hammock in the gym. She did not know it, but that added fuel to the fire, as Wilykat just saw that as more proof that his friends hated him. Wilykit unabashedly pressed her ear quietly against the door. 

Cheetara sighed. "No, Tygra. Of course not. But somehow our concern for them, you know because they _are _children, somehow his mind has twisted it, making him think it far worse. I-I feel it's not even his fault. Somehow his psyche is intensifying everything we say that _could_ be negative, and filtering out anything good about it." 

"So you're saying his mind is turning on him?" 

"I feel that's what happened." Cheetara sounded weary. 

There was nothing for a while, then as Wilykit was about to leave, Tygra said, "What do we do about it?" 

"I don't know, Tygra. I just don't know." 

Then, Wilykit _did _leave, as she did not want to be caught, but she was thinking furiously. She and Wilykat felt the same things. Almost always. She knew that Wilykat had had enough of her teasing, and let her know in no uncertain terms. She's thought that out of character. Not now. THIS was out of character. That had been only a bad mood. 

Was she the reason? She loved him more than anything or anyone else that existed. He was her only family, a brother, and more than that, a twin. They were born at the same time. Neither had ever lived a life before the other. They knew what the other was thinking, and for the most part how the other felt. She could have recited exactly what Wilykat would do in a battle, and he could do the same for her. So he should have known, even if he hadn't liked it, she didn't _mean_ half the things she said. He had to know that, didn't he? 

DIDN'T HE?! Wilykit kicked the wall in frustration, as hard as he could, then let a muffled cry as it hurt her foot. Her soft boots had not cushioned the blow any. Rubbing her foot and sitting down, she thought. And thought. And thought. Ever since that damned battle with Mumm-Ra! Maybe _he _did something to him! But she couldn't go alone, and she couldn't tell the others... 

Sighing in helpless frustration, she stood and went outside to brood. 

*** 

"Dang _blast_ it!" 

Lion-O entered the control room in time to witness Panthro bringing his fist down on the control panel. He raised a brow. "What's wrong Panthro?" he asked. 

Panthro turned around, a completely disgusted look on his face. "This miserable, blasted console! The damned sensors aren't working, and when I tried to get a reading on low on Thundrillium we were, it informed me that the temperature outside was 80 degrees!" 

Lion-O tried to stifle a laugh. "And you thought that perhaps striking it would shape it up, huh?" Panthro gave him a look. It was one that said, "Don't start with me." But Lion-O saw a surpressed smile in there. "All right, what is it this time?" 

Panthro shook his head. "I just don't know, Lion-O. Every time I fix it, something else, something more serious goes wrong. I also can't open the hangar paws, and my computer game that I was halfway through got erased!" 

Lion-O sighed. "This is the third time this week that something's gone wrong, Panthro. I want to know what in the namw of Jaga is happening! I trust your mechanics and Tygra's electronics more than anyone's. And I don't believe that it's just random system failure, either." 

Panthro sighed. "Well here's another thing I have to fix." 

"Need any help?" 

"No, I can do it. It's just time consuming." With that, Panthro worked himself under the console and began to work. 

He should have left it alone, Wilykat thought. He always had to _fix_ everything, didn't he? What a jerk. 

The boy turned from where he's been peeking in the door, and clenched his fists. 

A week later is when the fight started. Cheetara ran into the room where she saw at first only a moving ball, rolling around the council room, a whir of claws and flashes of bright orange manes, and glimpses of brown and blue tunics. At first, she thought that they were wrestling, and almost felt relief, but then the cheetah only stared. This was no friendly tussle, this was an out and out fight. She'd never seen the Thunderkittens fight, not this seriously. "Hey! You two stop it!" She was not even heard. 

With a sigh of frustration, she growled herself and shot two lightning fast hands into the fray, grabbing the collars of the twins' tunics, and wresting them away from each other. "Hey! What's the matter with you two! Fighting in the middle of Cats' Lair like a couple of--" She yelped, as Wilykat looked at her with eyes that blazed with hatred, and raked his claws across her side. 

Cheetara let go of his clothing by reflex, and the boy ran from the room. The cheetah looked after him, shocked. Wilykit looked after him, even more shocked. Timid Wilykat, attacking one of the adults? She'd never thought she'd see the day. 

They only stood there a little while, Cheetara still holding Wilykit's tunic, as the door shut after the retreating Thunderkitten. Then Wilykit started to cry. 

Wilykit never cried. Never. At least not where anyone but her brother could see. Now she cried, and Cheetara drew her into an embrace. "We'll get help for him," she vowed in a low tone. "I promise. As soon as we can find someone who knows what happening to him." 

The next day, Wilykat watched them all leave. He didn't know what had happened, some alarm or another. Not the Mutants, or those miserable pirates this time, there was some kind of new menace in the direction of the Bolkins and the Warrior Maidens. He watched them leave. 

Wilykat sat on the bed, looking at the floor. He glanced at his sister's bed, neatly made, and growled. She always had to be the better twin, didn't she? She was so noble, and honorable. She was always so brave. _She _was the dominant of the pair. _She_ was the one that always got them into trouble, then got mad at him. It was HER fault! All hers!! 

With a sigh, Wilykat stood and wandered into the control room. His head always felt like there was something inside it. Something soft and expandable, sponge fog, maybe, in his head, and it kept getting bigger and bigger until it sent him off balance, and filled up every crevice i n his mind so he couldn't think... 

"AHHH!" he yelled in frustration, putting his hands to his head. That visualization had made it worse. 

His eyes sunken in deep pits from lack of sleep, his tunic hanging a little, as he had not eaten well in a few weeks, Wilykat wandered into the control room in almost a daze, and looked around. 

Snarf, the only one who had not left, wasn't in the control room, which was fine, and Wilykat looked over the console. Panthro's stupid game had been started, and he was already halfway through again. Wilykat could never get past the first level. His lip began to tremble. He wasn't any good at computer games. Even Wilykit was better. He couldn't fight. Everyone except maybe Snarf was better at it than him. He couldn't fly his spaceboard without falling at least once, he was no good at the laser guns; Wilykit had a better aim. nothing! He could do nothing! Everyone was better than he was! _Everyone!_

Wilykat wiped tears from his eyes, and kicked the console, hard. He didn't feel it. He seized the game chip that had Panthro's game on it, threw it to the floor and stepped on it. When that didn't work, since it was flat, he picked it up and snapped it, throwing the pieces to the floor again. 

_Just destroy the console_

It had not been a voice. It hadn't been a thought even, only a vague idea. Had Wilykat been a little more aware, he would have wondered. It was an idea that occurred to him from his own mind, but it also occurred to him from _outside _his own mind. It didn't matter at this point. Wilykat looked around, then stormed from the room. 

He came back with a piece of pipe from the storage closet in the hangar, and with a growl of anger and deep hurt, he brought it down on the console as hard as he could. Sparks flew, some landing to singe his tunic. He didn't care. WIth all his strength, Wilykat bludgeoned the computer terminal, which was only an extra small screen for tracking, and Panthro's stupid game console. He smashed it until there was nothing left that could possibly work. He stood, breathing hard, tears streaming unheeded down his cheeks. 

_Feels good. Feels good to destroy things_

Again, the idea was there, and it was true. Wilykat felt only a small shred of hesitation, not wanting to break anything vital. But then he thought of the ThunderCats saying he was unpredictable and dishonorable. Just like his dream. He heard Wilykit saying she was ashamed of him. Just like...or _was_ that the dream? He didn't know any more. He had the nightmares every night now, and real life only merged with the dream anymore... 

Why did he care about them? They didn't care for him! They hated him! The kitten snarled. 

Taking the pipe, he went to the main console, the one that controlled lights, the hangar paw doors, the weapons, the sensors, everything. With a scream Wilykat did not realize he uttered, he began to swing the pipe... 

"Great Thundera!" Snarf came running in to find Wilykat wrecking the control room. Smoke filled the place, and Snarf coughed violently for a minute while his eyes strained to see through it. And there was Wilykat, smashing the consoles with a piece of pipe. "Mrrr, Wilykat, it's me, Snarf! Stop it! Stop!" 

But Wilykat did not hear. And all of a sudden, the lights went out. The sparks flew, illuminating the scene in sporadic strobe flashes. "Oh, snarf, snarf...." Snarf ran to Panthro's room to grab his portable communicator. 

Outside, the battle finally having been won, the weary ThunderCats returned...and they returned to a frantic Snarf hollering on the radio something about Wilykat. 

"Damn it!" Panthro growled. The bridge was across, but the hangar doors wouldn't open. "Wilykat." He jumped from the tank and ran for the door. When it wouldn't open, he went _through_ the door, getting a few nasty scrapes as he forces the doors open. The others followed. 

They ran in near darkness, their feline vision the only thing keeping them from running into walls. Snarf met them at the door of the control room, from where sounds of destruction emanated. He pointed with a shaking hand, and Panthro had to force these doors open too. He was not happy. 

The consoles were strong, but Wilykat had the strength of fury, and of hurt. He had reduced most of them to scrap metal, heedless of bits of metal that flew from them to strike his own body. His injuries from the battle with the pirates had all but healed, except for the missing teeth, but now he had new injuries that he didn't even feel. He was scraped up from his hands or his sides hitting a jagged piece of metal or glass in the dark, he panted and coughed from inhaling the smoke. Pieces of glass had flown up to hit his face, and he's stepped barefooted on more of the same. He had even accidentally hit his own leg with the pipe. 

The ThunderCats all stared. "How could we have let it go this long?" Tygra whispered. He sighed. "We should have listened to them more." 

Wilykit only stared, her mouth open. 

But it was Panthro that finally did something. He darted forward and grabbed Wilykat by the arm, and just as fast had to duck away as he swung his weapon at him. Panthro caught it and wrenched it from his hands, throwing it across the room. He dragged Wilykat, fighting like one possessed, across the room, away from the smoke and the glass and metal. He dragged him into the hallway. 

"We...we gotta get help for him," Wilykit whimpered. She was scared. 

"We will, Wilykit," Lion-O vowed. "Wilykat...Wilykat, it's us, we're your friends, damn it! We're trying to help!" 

"No you're not, you all hate me! Let me go you...asshole! _Asshole!"_ he repeated it defiantly as he fought the panther. 

Lion-O shook his head. "Tygra. Get a sedative." The tiger nodded and ran off, even as Wilykat broke from the panther, ripping his tunic, and ran down the hallway. Cheetara ran after him. 

As the cheetah struggled to hold him still, murmuring quietly to him, trying to calm him, Tygra ran back with a hypodermic needle, and rushed to where Cheetara was trying to pin the kitten to the floor. 

"Hey, what are you gonna to with that?" Wilykit said. She ran to him. "You can't do that, leave him alone! you can't DO that!" 

Panthro grasped her arm. "He has to, Wilykit, look at him!" 

"No! Stop it, he doesn't _want_ you to!" She knew the reasoning, and she knew it was necessary, but she was in no condition to be reasonable. All she felt was indignation and fear. "It's not fair, it isn't!" 

Panthro sighed and lifted her by the belt, getting an indignant squawk from her as Tygra grabbed Wilykat's arm and finally got the needle in. After a few moments, Wilykat stopped fighting. He wasn't unconscious, but almost. 

Wilykit sniffed. "I'm sorry," she whispered, hanging from Panthro's grasp. "I-I know you had to...but--but..." 

"We understand, Wilykit," Tygra said, standing up as Cheetara lifted the near-asleep Wilykat. "I know how you feel. You can put her down now, Panthro." 

He did, and Wilykit ran and took her brother's hand. She would not have been able to any other way, he would have pushed her away. 

"We'll get him tended again, then we are going to find out what the hell is going on," Lion-O said. "One way or another." 

Wilykit gazed at Wilykat. He looked terrible. She found herself thinking of the conversation Tygra and Cheetara had had, and she thought of what she _herself _had wondered. The fight with Mumm-Ra...it had to have something to do with that. Whereas before she would not have been willing to tell the other for fear of getting into trouble...she thought that now she would. Any punishment they would mete out for them taking that dare would be nothing compared to... 

The dare! The pyramid...the statue... 

Wilykit's eyes narrowed. In a sudden burst of understanding, she suddenly knew. She broke the piece off, he carried it. That had been the deal. And just to prove he was brave, he'd decided to carry the little piece around...but then they had both forgotten about it. It was still in his pouch. 

As she followed Cheetara and Tygra into the infirmary, she came to a decision. She'd go back. This was between her and Wilykat. No need to bring the other in it. On the morrow, before the sun was even up, she would go back. 

Part Ten 

Part Twelve 

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	12. Chapter 12

12 

Not even twenty-four hours after he had lamented his frustration at not being able to see what was happening, Mumm-Ra was called out by his masters. Grumbling something he would not have enjoyed had the ancient ones heard, he came out. "What would you have ne see, great ones?" he asked humbly. 

But the answer was self evident in the cauldron. In silent pictures and images, Mumm-Ra watched, eyes narrowed in fury, at what he saw. 

He did not need to ask what the Ancient Spirits of Evil wanted him to do, as it was obvious. "Ancient Spirits of Evil," he began, raising his hands to the ceiling. "Transform this decayed form to Mumm-Ra, the Ever-Living!" 

The cauldron had shown the wretched ThunderCats tending the injuries Wilykat had inflicted unwittingly on himself in his mad destructive spree. He saw them leave Wilykit watching over him. He saw Panthro and Tygra going to work repairing the control room and its sensors, weapons, that kind of thing. Power was out in the whole Lair, so they had portable lights, and the like. The infirmary was in emergency power from the generators. 

Snarf paced back and forth outside in the sun, not wanting to be in the dark Lair, and needing some space to vent his worry and agitation. Lion-O and Cheetara were out making their rounds, as even now they couldn't let the daily patrols lapse. 

Mumm-Ra laughed. Like taking candy from a kitten. He took a potshot of lightning at Snarf as he paced, hitting him from behind and ending him tumbling several feet away, out cold. He laughed unpleasantly, amused, and then faded out to reappear in the infirmary. 

Wilykit never noticed him, as she was too concerned about her brother. She did not sense him until he grabbed the half conscious Wilykat and turned the heavy bed over on Wilykit, eliciting a sharp outcry of startlement and indignation. "Hey!! Mumm-Ra! You jerk!" 

Mumm-Ra cackled and overturned a cabinet on top of the bunk to pin the young ThunderCat under the bed, as he held her groggy brother by the scruff of the neck. "Hey!" came a slightly frantic, muffled voice from underneath the bed. "_Hey!!_ You let him go, you miserable mummy!" The furniture shifted as she struggled to get out from underneath the bed. 

Mumm-Ra only laughed at her and left the Lair, Wilykat not yet awake enough to know what had happened. 

Several miles away, Lion-O and Cheetara patrolled. The Sword of Omens never made a sound. Although since Wilykat had been at least temporarily stripped of his title, the Sword would not have sensed his danger in the first place, neither did it detect Wilykit's, as the massive presence of evil was quite deliberately blocking it. Lion-O never knew what was happening to the ThunderCat twins. 

At Cats' Lair, Wilykit growled in frustration as she could not lift the bed and the cabinet off of her, but slowly was edging out from under the medical bed. It was soft, and so did not hurt her, but she'd hit her head on the tile floor, and now she was mad. 

Finally scooting herself out from under it, she brushed herself off and narrowed her eyes. Looked like her little trip to the Black Pyramid would be moved up a few hours. 

Not telling anyone she was leaving, Wilykit got her spaceboard from the hangar and headed west. 

*** 

"Hey." Wilykat blinked his eyes. He realized he'd been flying through the air. A dream? If so, it was a change from the daily hell his subconscious had been put through when he slept. It was a good reason for his lack of sleep; he didn't _want_ to sleep. 

But after a minute, he realized this was not a welcome change of dreams, but he actually _was_ flying. "Hey!" He was alarmed at first, but then he looked up. "YOU!" 

Mumm-Ra laughed as he brought the boy to his abode. He said nothing. 

"Put me down!" 

Still Mumm-Ra said nothing, as he approached the Desert of Sinking Sands, and thus his pyramid. He flew in through his entrance at the top and swooped down to the cadence of Wilykat's insistence to put him down. He'd begun to fight with him. "Certainly," Mumm-Ra finally said, and still several feet up, he dropped him. 

With a yelp and a _thump, _Wilykat landed hard on the floor of the pyramid, and clenched his fists. Shaking, he slowly stood up, tears in his eyes. "YOU!" he repeated, but this time it was not a word of surprise, but of accusation. "It's your fault, this is all YOUR FAULT!" 

Mumm-Ra was unimpressed, and landed close to Wilykat. Despite himself, the young feline backed away. "It seems to me," Mumm-Ra said, an amused tone in his voice, "That you were the ones to invade _my_ sanctuary, young Thunderian." He smiled unpleasantly at Wilykat's sputtering, trying to think of something to say to that. He had nothing to say of course; Mumm-Ra was right, They had been the ones to trespass. "It also seems to me," Mumm-Ra said, his red eyes glowing the slightest bit, "that you had plenty of resentment for those miserable ThunderCats to begin with." Wilykat's scowl deepened, and the demon priest added calmly, "And rightly so." He turned away. 

Wilykat's expression changed to one of surprise, astonishment. "Wh- what...what do you _mean _rightly so?" He wiped his eyes. 

Mumm-Ra turned around. "Look at you. Bawling like a newborn cub." He saw a flash of hurt and anger, and smiled. "They expect you to act like a ThunderCat, but do they give you the tools to do so? Do they train your strengths? Do they commend you when you do something right, like killing that miserable excuse for a pirate?" 

Wilykat's unguarded expression made it so simple to read him...and to use his emotions. He looked down at the floor. "W-well...I-I..." He stammered, not knowing what to say, but he did hastily wipe the tears from his eyes, determined to shed no more. 

"No. They strip you of your title. They tell you over and over how weak you are, and yet don't allow you to grow strong." Mumm-Ra laughed, and with a lightning quick movement, lifted the boy by the scruff of his neck again. Wilykat squawked and clawed at him, but Mumm-Ra only opened the pouch on the boy's belt and removed the piece of the statue. Then he dropped the boy. "See? Pathetic. Scratching like a newborn kitten." Turning his back deliberately on Wilykat, he knelt in front of the statue the piece had been taken from, and placed the missing piece carefully against it. There was an increasingly powerful glow, and a low humming, almost like electrical build up, and the piece melded with the rest of the statue, sealing the cracks until it appeared as if nothing had happened. 

Wilykat was the slightest bit interested, although he didn't want to admit it. "O-Oh yeah?" he countered. "They...I mean we're not the ones that always get our butts kicked, Mumm-Ra. You're the one that always runs back to your pyramid." 

The ancient priest resisted the urge to simply twist the whelp's head from his shoulders. "How many are there of them against one of me?" he said simply. "You fought as a coward, seven of you against one. And still I manage to hold my own." He shook his head. "This verbal bantering is worthless. You've been cast from the ThunderCats. You've fought them, you've turned on them, and in return, they cast you out, as if you were no more than a rabid house pet." 

Wilykat was crying again, but this time he didn't care. It was true. Mumm-Ra was right, they didn't care about him! He did them a favor getting rid of that pirate, and they took his rank away, his insignia. He said nothing. 

Mumm-Ra smiled nastily. "So now what? You go back to their moralizing speeches? Their insults, and their babying?" Mumm-Ra cast his hand across the cauldron, and am image appeared. Despite himself, Wilykat stepped forward and took a look. 

It was an image he knew well. It was an image of himself, fighting the ThunderCats, a black-bladed sword in his hand. But the image had a different feel to it; dark, but powerful. It also showed him fighting the Mutants...and not having to have his sister rescue him. It showed him fighting with courage and power. It was an attractive thought. He said nothing, only watched. But his rage and anger had dissipated, at least for now. 

*** 

Meanwhile, outside, Wilykit had reached the boundaries of Mumm-Ra's territory. She stopped, hovering on her spaceboard, and gazing at the distant pyramid. She swallowed hard. Sneaking in to fulfill a dare with her brother was one thing, but to actually go alone, maybe to face the powerful demon herself...the thought made her insides feel like they'd turn to jelly. She was vaguely aware she was shaking as she stood easily on her board, the hot wind whipping her mane back. 

It was insane. Except for Lion-O during his leadership trials, which would be in a couple of months or so, not even the adults would think of facing their greatest enemy on this planet alone. But she had to. She had to for her brother, or she was absolutely certain that she would lose him forever. She could not bear the thought. 

And so, finally, she adjusted her stance and flew towards the Black Pyramid. It would end today, one way or another. 

Part Eleven 

Part Thirteen 

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	13. Chapter 13

13 

Mumm-Ra smiled a nasty smile. The boy's anger was gone, for now. Why shouldn't it be? The feelings he had were already there in very mild doses, but the evil that had been set free by the kittens' meddling had intensified them, twisted his perceptions so that what he always feared happened. And now he was telling Wilykat what he wanted to hear. "You like these images." It was not quite a question. 

Wilykat scowled and gave the demon priest a dirty look, but he did not say anything to the contrary. He looked back down. Now it showed him in the control room of the Cats' Lair, fighting the pirate. It showed him killing the pirate, and him ending up victorious. It also showed Wilykit crying like a baby afterwards. He narrowed his eyes. "She's always saying _I'm_ the baby! look at her, she's crying because some pirate's dead." He shook his head. "He-he's a bad guy, no one cares if they die..." He sounded like he was trying to convince himself. And in some deep reach of his mind, he was still trying to. 

Mumm-Ra chuckled. "Indeed, young feline. Your sister hasn't the courage to do what must be done in battle." He turned away, waving his hand once more. The images vanished. 

Wilykat looked up at him. To do what needed to be done. That was right! He'd done that, that pirate wouldn't ever attack anyone again! Third Earth was better of without him, one less villain to worry about! 

He shook his head. Then why did he feel sorrow? Why did he feel a deep sadness and a creeping fear far down in his mind? Why was he shaking? Why was this all so confusing?! The ThunderCats didn't want him anymore. Maybe they thought him a threat, he didn't care. He didn't need them! He'd shown he could take care of himself. 

Mumm-Ra said nothing. He saw the open, unguarded conflict on the boy's face, and knew he did not _need _to say anything. Wilykat had been under the influence of the ancients now for weeks, and here in his Black Pyramid, the influence was strongest. No. He need not say anything. 

However... 

Now he looked up uneasily. The cauldron bubbled, and the ancient mummy strode to it and peered in. What he saw made him snarl in anger, and narrow his eyes. That damned kitten! Well he would take care of her. And alone! He barely stifled a laugh. That audacious cub was coming to his pyramid alone. And furthermore, the cauldron showed him that the adult ThunderCats did not even know that either of them were missing. This was only too perfect. 

Outside, Wilykit hesitated for only a portion of a second, far less than she had when both she and Wilykat had snuck inside to take the dare in the first place. Clenching her teeth, both in determination and to keep control of the fear, Wilykit soared on her spaceboard to the top of the pyramid, and shot through the hole, just as Mumm-Ra was coming out to meet her. 

She let a surprised yelp as she shot past him, and could see that her adversary was surprised, too. She had been closer to the pyramid than he had thought, and traveled faster. 

As Mumm-Ra growled and descended swiftly from the top of the pyramid, Wilykit landed hastily and went to her brother. "Wilykat, let's go, quick!" 

"No." The answer was swift and decisive, although he looked like he was making the hardest decision in his life. He backed away from his sister's outstretched hand. 

Wilykit blinked, and almost forgot her deadly enemy who was behind her, in her surprise. He seemed to be acting rationally, unlike the past many weeks, but how could he be? He was refusing to leave! She looked at him a little hurt. "Wilykat..." 

"I said no!" Wilykat spat the words in sudden anger. 

Mumm-Ra had planned to attack, but seeing what was going on, he decided for now just to watch. 

Wilykit looked hurt. "You _want _to stay here? Mumm-Ra'll fry you before you can think about it!" She was speechless, unable to think of anything, her mind sputtering in thought. 

Wilykat wiped his eyes. "Shut up!" he screamed. "Just shut up! you don't know everything, you always tell me what to do, I can make my _own_ choices." His voice trembled, but he went on. "Y-You think Mumm-Ra's evil, well maybe he is! But _he_ hasn't told me that I'm too weak to fight. He doesn't tell me I'm clumsy or dumb! I've been hearing what you guys say about me, and Lion-O kicked me out, so go away!! You only wanted me around so you could _boss_ me around! Well you can't do that anymore, I have power. I can _be_ powerful! I can be strong, I don't have to always lose anymore...I don't have to!" Wilykat edged towards the cauldron, where Mumm-Ra stood, unveiled triumph in his expression. 

Wilykit only stared at her brother, looking very much like a little cub right then, the hurt and shock so evident on her face. "B-but...you...you really think that?" she finally stammered in a little voice. She had completely forgotten the presence of the mummy. 

"I know it." Wilykat now spoke in a quiet tone, although he still wept. "I-I _know_ it." He sniffed. "Go away, Wilykit. Just go away." 

"Yes, little kitten," Mumm-Ra mocked, She looked at him for the first time since her brother's refusal to leave. "Go on back home before you get hurt." The threat was obvious. 

Wilykit glared at him, her fists clenched, then looked back to Wilykat. He was serious. Dead serious. "Go, Wilykit." Then he added in a near whisper, "Please." As much betrayal as he felt, he didn't want to think of her getting hurt, not in front of him. 

His sister's lip trembled, and she clenched her teeth, turning back on Mumm-Ra. His eyes had narrowed; he recognized the stance; the look... 

As Wilykit shrieked an incoherent cry of rage, and jumped on her board, flying at the demon priest, he growled and stepped back, shoving Wilykat aside and out of the line of fire. Summoning his power, he let loose twin bolts of electricity from his fingertips. The bolts struck Wilykit as she charged, knocking her from the board and sending her sprawling behind the very statue she had defaced. Her spaceboard, cracked in half, was thrown several yards further. 

Wilykat watched all this with a kind of dazed fascination. His lack of sleep and proper diet was having its effect now, as his mind felt like it spun madly, thoughts all converging in a whirlwind of confusion. Through eyes that seemed to put the world in slow motion, he watched his sister shake her head and stand up, using the statue as support. He saw the blood where the rough stone had scraped her skin. He saw the stature emit a sharp shock, making his sister yelp and jerk away from it, even as Mumm-Ra once again flew at her. She was going to get hurt! 

_So what? She came here, not the other way around, she was tresspassing, she deserved what she got!_

_No, she's my sister!_

Wilykat whimpered, a sound not heard for the battle of two warriors happening not far away, and clutched his head. Bursting into tears, he tried unsuccessfully to still the thoughts that warred in his head, as viscously as Mumm-Ra and his sister. 

"AUUUGH!" This cry of pain was Mumm-Ra's, as Wilykit scooped a sharp piece of stone from the floor and used her lariat to hurl it at him. The stone, expertly cast, grazed his midsection even as he leapt back to avoid it, slicing a neat line in his gut. It did not bleed, as he was no longer a living man, but he was still able to feel the pain. And now he was angry. 

Wilykit leapt backwards and darted behind yet another of the statues that made up the Ancient Spirits of Evil, careful not to touch it this time. She peeked out and barely avoided getting her face fried by a burst of red lightning. She darted in the shadows to the next statue. 

_She attacked first!_

_But she was only trying to help me..._

_No, she just wanted to make sure you stayed under her thumb. She wanted to make sure she could still boss you around!_

That was true! She came in and _expected _him to go, she nearly _ordered _him to leave! He felt a wave of resentment and he stood, shakily emerging from his corner to see how the fight was going; for that moment, the victor he hoped for was not his blood sister. 

There was a sharp outcry from Wilykit, behind the stone of the Ancient ones, as Mumm-Ra gestured, and the very stone itself struck out to hit her in the arm, drawing a line of blood across it. She looked around, trying to see who had just struck her, when coils of stone, like living streamers of rock, lashed out snake-like to attack. One missed, the other two hit the side, and the head. 

Half dazed, but finally realizing what happened, Wilykit was forced to leave her cover. 

"Aha! That's better"!" Mumm-Ra crowed. "You wanted a fight, now you'll finish this one!" With a burst of laughter that after all these millennia was not that of a sane creature, Mumm-Ra hurled his red death at the child, even as she darted behind his cauldron. 

The blast took out a section of the pool's stone, right beside Wilykit's head. She screamed in surprise and skittered aside, not wanting to find out if her nose's suspicions about the acidity of the pool were correct or not. She did not want to find out the hard way she had been right. 

Two more blasts, and two more chunks of rock. Wilykit was beginning to feel desperate. She could not hide, and if she stayed in the open, she would be dead for sure, and what did she have for weapons? She had a lariat and a bunch of powder/liquid pellets. And one that was different from the others/ 

Crouching low, her slight form hidden by the broken wall of the cauldron, Wilykit took a capsule from her belt, and cast it in the water that flowed from the breaks. It did not sizzle, but it did bubble, and from it grew green, scales, fire; some was liquid-triggered puppetry, but most was illusion. 

"What by all the Ancients-?" Mumm-Ra exclaimed as he shot forward in the air to seize the kitten hiding behind the pool. He found not a cowering cub, but what appeared to him to be a living, breathing dragon, and one that was not happy, to boot. He cursed and flew backwards as the dragon spit its fire. He did not even see Wilykit dart from her hiding place, searching her belt desperately for something she could use against the mummy. 

Grease pellets, he didn't even touch the floor; couldn't slip him up. Powders, sneezing...was he even capable of sneezing? Wilykit hurt, and she was terrified, and she couldn't think! What could she use? She didn't know, what should she use?? Flash...the flash capsules. She looked around on the sand-littered floor for something she could use as a weapon If she could hurt him enough to deplete his power, he could do nothing.. 

While Mumm-Ra fought what he thought to be an angry dragon, and Wilykit desperately tried to make her racing thought make some sense and grow into a plan, Wilykat had seen what she had done, and could see what she was doing. He narrowed his eyes. "Mumm-Ra, it's not real, it's a dragon-capsule, a puppet!" 

Wilykit's head snapped up so fast, one might have thought she broke it. She gaped at her brother, all her racing jumbled thought-flashes gone in simple shock. Wilykat had betrayed her! 

Mumm-Ra ceased his attack and approached, staying still as the dragon spit its fire; he felt no heat. The fire singed him not. 

He narrowed his eyes and slowly turned his head. He did not like being tricked, and now he had been humiliated. "Clever cub," he growled low in his throat, and landed on the ground. he walked towards her, and she backed away quickly, still searching for the right capsule. 

"So, you dare to make mockery of Mumm-Ra the Ever-Living..." Wilykit stumbled as she backed away, then a look of alarm crossed her face when she felt stone behind her. 

"Enough play, kitten. Let's see just who is the stronger here." A nasty curl of his lips formed a demon's smile. He _knew _who was the stronger, and Wilykit's cunning was of little use here now that her trick had been exposed. There were too many eyes in the chamber. 

Before Wilykit could even thinking about dodging, Mumm-Ra had splayed his fingers, sending a strong jolt of red, jagged electricity into her body. Wilykit screamed and dropped the capsule she'd been trying to fumble from her belt, as she hit the wall and collapsed to the floor, trying to clear her head. 

Mumm-Ra mocked her, allowing her to get halfway up again before hitting her once more and sending her to the ground. 

Wilykat watched all this, not with satisfaction, but horror. What had he done? 

Wilykit tore her belt loose as she staggered to her feet, throwing it as hard as she could at the feet of her foe. Several went off, creating a shield of smoke and flashing light, and Wilykit ran on all fours, limping on a foot and a hand, seeking some kind of protection or refuge. But there was none. 

All her distraction had served to do was to make the demon more angry than he was, and he rose from the smoke, enveloping the kitten in a suffocating beam of energy, and hurling her across the room. 

By a desperate feat of gymnastics, the wiry cub managed to save herself from a very broken head. As she hit the ground in a clumsy roll. But the breath was knocked from her and the arm she used had been hurt badly. She thoguht it might have been broken. Her head had hit the floor, sending her dazed to the floor, blood seeping from the wound, not to mention a few good bruises she would have later from that fall, if she lived that long. She tried to get up. 

Wilykit had never cried in pain before, but she did now. She had never taken quite a beating before in her battles, and the feeling of defeat hurt almost as much as the physical wounds. 

Mumm-Ra stalked over to the helpless cub and reached down, grabbing her by the throat and lifting her high in the air. She made a strangled sound and began again to fight, kicking at him and clawing at his hands, trying to ignore the stabs of pain from her injuries. But her legs were not long enough to reach anything but arm, and her claws were not long or strong enough to do much damage. "Now," Mumm-Ra snarled. "Now you will meet your maker, you miserable little bastard." 

Wilykit gagged as Mumm-Ra began to squeeze, shaking her hard every few moemtns as he cursed her out. Her fight became more frenzied as she could not breathe, and the terrible pressure making her feel as though her head might explode before she died from lack of air. 

Wilykat shook as he witnessed this viscous assault, and everything in his heart cried out. His mind may have been taken over, sullied, and hurt deeply, but his heart could not be marred. "NOOO!" he shrieked, and ran forward, taking his own unused supply of capsules from his belt. He chose the explosive ones, all four of them, and hurled them all at Mumm-Ra's face. 

One bounced away, not having hit hard enough to have done any damage, but the other three struck him full in the face, and he howled, dropping Wilykit and staggering backwards. Half unconscious, Wilykit choked harshly, desperately trying to get some air into her lungs. 

Meanwhile, Wilykat was, not for the first time, in a fury of anger and hurt, but this time, he knew exactly what he was doing. He threw everything he had at the mummy, who reeled with the unexpected attack. Wilykat was searching for the broken pieces of his sister's spaceboard. 

When he found one half, he stared at the shiny bottom of it in horror. It was his reflection, but his own heart saw what the light reflected back. It was him; but he felt, more than saw, the first thin tendrils of darkness around him, and suddenly he knew why Mumm-Ra could not bear to see his own reflection. 

With a cry of terror, Wilykat turned it around and held it as a shield as Mumm-Ra finally got his bearings and attacked. But the board did its work, and Mumm-Ra caught only a glimpse. But it was enough. With a howl of despair and rage, he reverted to his weak form, retreating to his sarcophagus. So close...he had been so close.... 

Crying himself, Wilykat ran to his choking sister, kneeling by her small form. He put a hand on her shoulder. "Wilykit?" he whimpered. "W-Wilykit, don't die, please? I'm sorry, I'm sorry..." 

Wilykit had her eyes closed, but she forced them to open, and she tried to sit up. Her brother helped her. "I'm..." she started, and it came out as a weak, hoarse whisper. "I...I'm not gonna die." 

"Come on, we have to get back to Cats' Lair," Wilykat whimpered. "We have to get Tygra to help you..." He put an arm around the injured kitten, and helped her up. He took the larger portion of the spaceboard, which had the repulsors in it, and helped Wilykit aboard. They both barely fit but they made it, and Wilykat flew them out at less than half speed. 

*** 

"Is she going to be all right?" Cheetara asked. Then she added darkly, "Will they be okay alone?" 

Tygra nodded, closing the infirmary door behind him, "I think so. Wilykit can't speak without hurting her throat, and so Wilykat told me, he told me everything." He sighed. "This has got to be the most vile thing Mumm-Ra and his masters have done yet." 

Snarf glanced worriedly to the med room door. "Mrrr...what about Wilykat?" 

Tygra shook his head. "He almost got Wilykit killed, Snarf. He hates himself for it. I think he will be a very long time forgiving himself for it, if ever. Even though it was not his fault." 

Lion-O frowned. They all were gathered in the hallway. "Is there anything we can do?" 

Tygra shook his head again. "No. We can only be there for him. Give him our love. I think the twins will be the ones that deal with this the most though." He opened the door a crack, and they peered in. Wilykit and Wilykat were locked in a tight, almost desperate embrace. "But I think they will be okay." 

Part Twelve 

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